Sometimes, Equations Just Don't Work
by Miyoreos1023
Summary: When the Professor devises an interesting formula to repel the monsters, what comes out isn't a repellant, but a very strong liquid love. When this liquid love is stolen it's up to our girls to piece together the clues and save the day.
1. Chapter 1: The Potion

**Authors' note:**

Miyoreos1023: hey so this story is a joint project with stphne and this is our very first ppg/rrb fanfic.

Stphne: Miyoreos is way too excited for this. Anyways, we're going to alternate who writes the chapters so since I wrote this one, Miyoreos will write the next.

Miyoreos1023: Stphne and I had some images of the characters to help us visualize them, so if you want to check them out, I posted the links on my profile.

Stphne: Other than that we'd really appreciate it if you could leave us a review of the story. Naturally, Miyoreos and I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or any of the associated characters mentioned in this story. The only ones we own are Jaques and Belle.

Miyoreos1023: And the mailbox man, he's our character too. Well here it is! Hope you like it!

**Chapter 1: **The Potion

"The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you,

Thou art my love and I am thine;

I drew thee to my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And fortune said it should be you"

Finally, finally I have it. Before me sat a large beaker filled with a curious golden liquid. If it all worked out, this liquid would become a strong monster repellant.

I knew that monsters were made out of the hatred of people and the evil of the world and so I wondered what could be the opposite of hatred and evil. And then I realized: love and light. The creation the Powerpuff girls was accidental, a contamination from trying to create the perfect little girls following the Mother Goose rhyme. The same could be said for the Rowdyruff Boys, though their chemical X wasn't so accidental. By using the same logic, a recipe for a monster repellant could be found.

Two decades previously I wouldn't have understood the need to create such a thing but being a father changes a man. Despite the fact that these girls weren't actually mine, I still felt the need to help them. And right now, dealing with Monster attacks and formulating plans to deal with villains was not what Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup needed.

They were in their final years of being a teenager. The next year they would be off to college and I didn't want to stunt their options by having the duty of protecting this city pressing down on them. Blossom wanted to go to an Ivy League school, Bubbles wanted to go to the capital and protest for animal rights, and Buttercup dreamt of attending a large and powerful sports college and none of those things were offered in Townsville.

And so I began to create a repellant made from the blue-tinted petals of the violet to attract peace, thorns of a rose for toughness, and honey to make it all stick together. Finally, for the last step, I will use the essence of light to burn away any villain who wished to attack our fair city.

Grabbing an eye dropper, I filled it up with the essence of light and brought it over the beaker. With this drop perhaps I, Professor Utonium, will create the most perfect monster repellant in the world. I gently squeeze the rubbery tip of the dropper, carefully measuring out just the right amount. Finally the drop began to undulate where it attached to the dropper and then after another moment it dropped, falling down into the golden liquid beneath it with a gentle splash.

I waited a moment, flinching. All was calm. All was silent. Normally this wouldn't be weird as it was quiet late at night or early in the morning and silence was expected. What made the silence so weird was the fact that, according to all my research, there should have been a massive explosion, which resulted in the entire lab being covered in a layer of soot – peace was never obtained peacefully, after all. I glanced around the lab, taking note of the saran-wrapped walls, tables, chairs, and floor.

Heaving a great sigh, my shoulders slumped forward. So much for attempt number one.

Turning around, I began to remove my own plastic protection from my body when suddenly I heard a loud rumbling coming from the beaker filled with the now bubbling golden liquid. Maybe it wasn't a failure! I approached the beaker, plastic securely fastened around my usual clothing. The noise grew louder as the beaker began to violently shake and my excitement grew. Then a large puff of smoke exuded from the beaker and all was calm again. Well, that was anticlimactic.

But then a delightful scent reached me nose. At first I couldn't place it because it was a conglomerate of smells that created the most peculiar scent I've ever encountered. But then it separated into three distinct scents. The first one I registered was the scent of brewing coffee. The next one was formaldehyde, a peculiar scent but one that I loved dearly. And finally I realized I could faintly smell sharpened pencils and crayons.

Burning red, I quickly realized what I had just created. Rummaging through my drawers, I began to frantically search for that package of stickers. Locating them underneath a stack of papers about apples and their possible time-travel capabilities, I ran back over to the beaker and slapped on the sticker and immediately closed the top off with a cork.

Suddenly exhausted, I decided to call it a night. As the lights winked out, the little yellow sticker with black text flashed out to me. 'Bio hazard' it said, and rightly so.

The City of Townsville: a sleepy little city where the phrase "the early bird gets the worm" is still alive and kicking. But what's this?

It would seem that someone's not asleep at the Utonium Household. Wait, this is no Utonium family member! Hey, get out of there! This no-good villain just broke into Professor Utonium's lab!

Oh! And now he's riffling through the Professor's things! You, hey you, I said get out of there!

"Shhhhhhh!"

Oh, sorry. But seriously, you should probably leave. There's a lot of dangerous stuff in here. Put that down! That's really dangerous! Can't you read? It says 'Bio hazard' so you shouldn't – Hey!

Don't stick it in your coat pocket! What are you doing? That's stealing! Come back here!

Oh no, I don't have a good feeling about this…where are you taking it? The Powerpuff Girls won't be too happy with you in the morning!


	2. Chapter 2: It's gone!

Author's note:

Miyoreos1023: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! As Stphne said, she wrote the last chapter and I wrote this chapter.

Stphne: We also decided to upload one chapter a week. I know that might be upsetting, but please keep in mind that we are seniors and we have lots of school work.

Miyoreos1023: Well here's chapter 2, told in Blossom's point of view! I hope you guys like it!

Stphne: Please R and R and don't forget, the Power Puff Girls, Rowdy Ruff Boys and other characters do not belong to us!

Miyoreos1023: We only own Jaques, Belle and Mailbox man! :]

Chapter 2: It's gone?!

"And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to…Ms. Blossom Utonium!" Smiling broadly, I calmly made my way up to the stage and turned toward the audience. Clearing my throat, I smiled and opened my mouth to deliver my speech…

"BLOSSOM UTONIUM!"

My eyes snapped open and I woke to find the professor shaking me awake. "Professor, I'm trying to get some sleep here!" I growled, swatting his hand off my shoulder and pulling the covers over my head. As I tried to return to my dream, the professor yanked the covers off of me and pleaded, "Blossom wake up! I need your opinion about the new potion I made." I rolled over and opened my eyes a tiny bit to glanced at the clock on my bedside table. The neon numbers 5:45 glimmered cheerfully into my eye. "Professor! Can't it wait for another 30 minutes?" I cried, "I was having such a…" my voice trailed off as I caught sight of the Professor's crestfallen face. Sighing, I forced a smile on my face and got out of bed. It wasn't the first time the Professor got excited over a "new" invention and woke me up before my alarm rang.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes and wondering what he invented, I followed the Professor to his lab. Floating down the stairs, I stifled a yawn "What exactly did you invent again Professor?" The Professor had been holed up in his lab for quite a while and I was starting to get curious. The Professor stopped in front of the lab door, quickly typed in the entrance code "Well I actually have no idea. It's a new potion that I thought would repel monsters, but it seems to have a strange side affect" he explained as the security system scanned his retina. "And the side affect is…" I prompted. "That's the thing, I'm not sure. I think it might be love, but I need to you make sure." The Professor continued as he scanned his fingerprint and opened the lab door. I floated down the lab stairs and landed softly on the cool tiles, while the Professor went to his workstation. "That's funny" I heard him mumble "I thought I left it right here…" I walked across the tiles, shivering at their coldness. Next time I'd remember to wear socks and a sweatshirt. "Well Professor?" I asked, "Where's that potion of yours?" He turned from his workstation with a sheepish smile and shrugged. I sighed, "What does it look like? I'll help you look for it."

After 30 minutes of searching, we still couldn't find it. "Professor! Blossom! Breakfast's ready" Bubbles' cheerful voice floated down from the kitchen and the smell of pancakes wafted down. My stomach gave a grumble that caused the Professor to laugh. "Go ahead Blossom, get dressed and eat some breakfast. I must have misplaced the potion. It's sure to be around here somewhere." "I'm sure you'll find it Professor." I said patting him on the back and zooming up the stairs. The Professor kept the lab quite cold to preserve his various chemicals and I was starting to feel frozen. As I zoomed up the stairs, Bubbles stuck her head out of the kitchen and called "Can you wake Buttercup? You know how she is in the morning!" I smiled and called back "Sure!" before groaning inwardly. Let's just say Buttercup is not a morning person and waking her up is like poking a sleeping lion's nose with a sharp stick. Once in my room, I quickly pulled on my favorite pink t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Grabbing a pink sweatshirt, I took a deep breath and knocked on Buttercup's green door. "I'm up" she growled and flung the door open. Stifling a yawn she stalked to the bathroom and slammed the door. "We only have one door, try not to break it!" I called over my shoulder as I walked down the stairs, glad that I didn't have to enter her cluttered room. Settling down in my seat, I smiled when Bubbles cheerfully slid me a pink plate piled with pancakes and pink cup full of orange juice. Carefully pouring the maple syrup, I started to review for my calculus BC quiz. After ten minutes, I heard Buttercup's combat boots thud down the stairs and she slumped in her seat. "Good morning!" Bubbles chirped as she slid a green mug and a green plate toward her grumbling sister. Buttercup's face brightened as she saw the pancakes and immediately reached for the maple syrup. I glanced at the clock, which read 8:10, and gasped. "Hurry girls, we have twenty minutes to get to school!" Grabbing my plate, I dropped it into the sink and headed upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my books. I heard Bubbles giggle and glanced back to see Buttercup shove the rest of her pancakes in her mouth.

"Hurry up!" I cried bouncing on my toes. I really wanted to get to school before 8:30, but Bubbles and Buttercup were making it hard. "I'm coming!" Bubbles cried as she flew down the stairs in a light blue blur with Belle, her white toy poodle skidding onto the floor after her. I playfully tugged on one of her curls, "You know you still have your little apron on." She giggled and quickly took it off, threw it carelessly on the couch, and smoothed down her white miniskirt. As I opened my mouth to call for Buttercup, she appeared in front of me dangling her car keys. "Will you just chill? I'm right here. Why you want to go to school early is a mystery to me, but then again you are the nerd." She said before shouting a quick good-bye to the Professor and slamming the door. "Bye Professor! I love you!" Bubbles called throwing her arms around him and blowing a kiss to Belle before skipping out the door. The Professor smiled, "have a nice day girls!" he said as I slid into the passenger seat of Buttercup's lime green Infringe.

As we headed toward Pokey Oaks High school, I leaned against the seat and listen to Bubbles blissfully chatter about who was caught hooking up over the weekend and how scandalous it was.


	3. Chapter 3: The Fight

**Author's note:**

Miyoreos1023: So I want to thank all of you guys for reviewing our story, Canzie, Rowdyruff girl, littlepunkprincess, Nekomimi and skateboarding4life.

Canzie: You just left it there

Miyoreos1023: well without a cliffhanger, the story would be boring

Stphne: or we're just evil anyway the Powerpuff Girls and all characters associated with the show do not belong to Miyoreos1023 and me. So, don't sue us. And please, read and review.

Miyoreos1023: Because that keeps us writing! *goes back to her AP bio*

**Chapter 3: The Fight**

School: what a waste. I'm pretty sure that given the option of going to school or just bumming around town 99.9% of the student body would choose the latter. Fuck, probably the entire school, staff included.

Once I asked the Prof. if he could create a machine just to download information into my brain simply because I knew he could do it but it just sent him on a tirade about how I don't appreciate my education and I need to earn it because half of the world isn't lucky enough to receive an education like I'm getting and shit like that.

And so, here I am, driving Know-It-All and Sunshine to school everyday while I'm being forced to attend. I suppose going to school does have its perks. I mean, I _am_ captain of the soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and swim teams. Not to mention the fact that the school has 'requested' us to not use our super powers within school grounds unless it's an absolute emergency.

Which means that the Prof was forced to provide us with a car.

Normally I'd be all over that shit like forty-year-old men and their midlife crisis. But here's the thing. _Bubbles_ didn't want us to get a cool car like the sleek sporty thing I had picked out. No. She was all _"save the environment!" _and _"think of all the animals and their wrecked habitats!"_

You know what I said? Fuck the environment. I want a car that goes fast. And so there we were, at an impasse between Bubbles and I when suddenly Blossom zooms around the corner and says she has found the perfect one. Naturally Bubbles and I were skeptical because 'fast' and 'environmentally-friendly' were not two adjectives found in one sentence describing one car. But there it was: the Infringe. A beautiful car with curves as sinful as Blossom is righteous. And it even came in lime green.

Now, here's the odd thing. As Blossom is typically said to be the most responsible Puff so you'd think it was her that would be driving us. Wrong. It turns out that in addition to being a mega hazard in the kitchen, she's just as much of a wreck on the road.

Kind of ironic, the two things that I'm pretty amazing at, aside from fighting, Blossom kind of sucks at. But that's life, I suppose.

Throwing myself into the driver's seat, I giddily began rubbing my hands over the leather dash and seats. Two years of driving this baby hasn't gotten old. Noticing my two sisters buckled in, I snapped on my seat belt, threw the car into reverse and floored it.

Hey – I said I was the best, not the safest. Blossom, sitting shotgun, was gripping the door handle for dear life as I came to a stop out in the middle of our street.

"You know what we need? Music." Pushing a button, I turned on the radio. Immediately rock music came pumping out of the speakers, a loud thumping sound filling the air. Blossom, being the kill joy that she is, turned the music down and glared at me.

"People are still sleeping, Buttercup! Have some consideration, please! You know, I was really hoping to get there before 8:30 so I could have time to review, but I think I'd rather get there at 8:33 than die." Grumbling in response, I pushed the pedal down and shot off towards school, a green blur against the black pavement with Bubbles' small giggles and Blossom's vocal chords flapping all the way.

Time left? 8:25 AM.

Arrival time at school? 8:28.

And Blossom thought we were going to take too long to get there by 8:30. Ha.

Strutting into the school building, I checked to make sure I had what I needed: car keys, check; messenger bag, check; pillow and large green sweatshirt, double check.

I had about fifteen minutes before until first bell rang and then ten minutes after that before class started. Jogging, I went through the corridors, multiple wooden doors flashing by me until I came to the library.

Yeah, normally I would _so_ not be coming to this place. The only people who came here were nerds, geeks, and freaks. Unfortunately, it would seem that I am the least dangerous Powerpuff in the kitchen. And, encouraged by this fact, and by Blossom-the-brown-nose who seems to put it on herself to find me a hobby that's _slightly_ feminine, the Prof decided that my chore should be cooking. And wouldn't you know, the Prof likes foreign cuisine. Only it happens that I know no 'foreign cuisine'. Yeah, life's a bitch, isn't it?

Placing my hand on the handles, I opened the door only to be greeted with the grossest sight ever imaginable to human kind: Butch Jojo.

Since I was fucking dry heaving at the mere sight of him, I almost full on projectile vomited on him when he turned around I got a load of his face.

"Hey Butterbutt, I mean, cup. Imagine seeing you here."

"Yeah, Bitch – I mean, Butch, fancy that. How's your pimp doing?"

"You should know, I mean, you request me enough."

My eyes narrowed. "Fucker."

"Shitface."

"Tiny-dick."

"Your sister wouldn't agree." He came back as he strode towards me.

"What the fuck did you say?" I hissed, stepping towards him. Opening his mouth to reply, Butch was suddenly cut off as the librarian walked in.

"Good morning, students!" He sang, a slight vibrato present in his voice as he made his way to his desk, "Good morning, plants! Good morning mysterious brown-ceiling stain! Good morning world!" Planting his things on his desk he turned to face us. Jesus Christ! I knew he was a queer but I never knew he fucking sang to the shit colored stain on the ceiling. "Ah, young Buttercup and Butch! I'm glad to see you young people socializing in the early morning! Makes my heat soar!" He flounced over to where Butch and I stood slack-jawed in shock. " 'Mr. Schnooferbroom, you'll never make it work' they said, 'those two kids have had to be separated since they first began school!' Well I showed them didn't I! At first I had my doubts – you two were always so hostile – but I always assumed that you guys would get along great someday and when I came in here and saw you two standing there, well, my heart leapt out of my chest and rocketed towards the sun and did a full revolution before it came back down to earth in a wonderful explosion of warmth and color!"

It was silent for a second and then his meaning sunk into my head. "Fuck no!" I screamed, punching Butch hard causing him to propel into the reference desk. Standing up, Butch rolled up his sleeves leaving a very noticeable dent in it.

"Oh, so that's how you like it, eh Buttercup?" He said looking dead in my eyes as he stalked towards me, "I guess I should have known you'd like it rough." Punching me in my gut, I shot towards the building wall, breaking it on impact.

"Children, oh children! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Please stop fighting!" I could hear Mr. Schnooferbroom call out over the sounds of shifting rubble. Seeing Butch float out of the hole I just made, I glanced at my watch taking in the time. 8:35 AM.

Oh yeah, I had enough time for a fight. Smirking at Butch, I called out "Winner gets the new weight room for their teams for a month!" I settled into an aerial fight stance.

"Beating the shit out of you _and_ the new weight room? Fuck yeah." Butch smirked back, and did the same.

Narrowing our eyes, Butch and I shot off at the same time, firing laser beams at each other. Deftly maneuvering around his shots, I backed off from him, charging energy. Her looked up and swore. Beginning to fly towards me, I smirked and shot it off, watching as the energy got closer and closer.

And then a pink haze invaded my senses as I slowly sunk to the ground, glancing at Butch only to find him barely hovering with a red glow around him. Fuck. What are they doing here now? What gives her the fucking right to intrude on my own fucking business? Shit! I almost had him! Her and that god-damn mother-fucking shit-hole–

"Enough, Buttercup! Look at what you've done to the school! That's going to cost the town a lot of money! And look at poor Mr. Schnooferbroom! He's traumatized, the poor man!" I could see the librarian shaking under the remnants of his desk, knees pulled up to his chest in a fetal position.

"Good! Maybe he'll learn to stay out of my own fucking business and learn that the Ruffs and the Puffs will _never_ get along!" I glared at Blossom. "And speaking of staying out other peoples business, why _the fuck_ would you think you had the right to fucking interfere with my shit?! Furthermore, why is your fuck-face counterpart here?"

"Buttercup, please! Watch your language!" I rolled my eyes. Seriously, who does she think she is? "Besides, it just so happens that _Brick_ is the brother of Butch and has as much right to be here as I do."

"Which is 'no business' because this is my shit so you should _stay out of it_!" I could hear Fuck-face and Bitch in the background yelling much like Blossom and I were. I guess we were slightly similar, after all.

Blossom rubbed her head, her left eyebrow raised in annoyance. "Are you done now? Can I let you go?" I huffed as the pink haze faded from my sight.

I glared at here once more. "I almost had him." I stalked off, and see that Fuck-face had finished with his brother, Blossom and Fuck-face retreated back into the damaged building, heading opposite directions as soon as they got in.

Walking up to Bitch, I stabbed him in the chest with my finger and pulled my face up to his. "If you so much as think you won, think again. Interference; it's a draw." I turned around, making my way towards the slightly demolished building.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, _Puff_, but don't think that this is the end. I want the wager."

"And loose a fight to you? Not even in your dreams."

"You're in my dreams, alright, but I don't know if what do in them can be considered as fighting." Sensing the boy behind me, I turned around, jamming my knee up and slamming his gut into my fist.

"Fucking pervert." I spat and strode back into the building, confidence rising with each delicious moan of pain Bitch produced.


	4. Chapter 4: And the fun begins

**Author's note:**

Stphne: Blahhh! Words!

Miyoeros1023: So this chapter was fun to write. Remember the PPG and other characters DON'T belong to us!

Stphne: Don't forget: reviews are always welcome!

Miyoreos1023: And without further ado we give you…CHAPTER 4!! and yay! I found out how to use break lines!!

* * *

**Chapter 4: And the fun begins**

"And she had the nerve to actually pick a fight with Butch right in front of a teacher!" Blossoms fumed as she furiously spun the lock and yanked open her locker door. "Seriously Bubbles! What is that girl thinking?"

"That she wants to break Butch's face?" I asked as my locker popped open. I quickly reached in and, pulling out my Spanish textbook, replied soothingly, "I was kidding Blossom. Buttercup always had a short temper, I'm sure Butch provoked her and she couldn't help herself." Swapping my world history textbook with a battered copy of _Hamlet_, I slammed my locker shut and hoisted my baby blue Abercrombie tote onto my shoulder.

"I know, but she should have gotten over the fact that we go to the same high school!" Blossom ranted as she pulled out her AP Biology binder and shoved it next to her AP European History textbook. Grumbling, she continued to shove her books back into her locker and yank out new ones. I still had no idea why she was taking so many advanced placement courses, but then again she is 'the smart one'.

"But she had no idea he would be in the library, it was a complete surprise." I countered, defending my hot-headed sister. "Well I'm late for Pirouetting Pokettes class, so I'm going to head to the theater. See you at lunch!" Slamming my locker shut, I started to head toward the theater when it hit me; an enticing scent of pines and hair gel. Turning around, I made a bee-line for locker number 2, where my boyfriend Jacques leaned model-like as he pulled out his choir folder and his Foundations to Basic Polynomials textbook.

"Jacques!" I squealed as I leaped into his open arms.

"My love!" he replied twirling me around in the air, "My life, my eternal soul, my…my...sweet Juliet." He proclaimed dramatically. Giggling, I swatted at his head playfully.

"Get a room!" A snide voice slashed through my thoughts and as I tore my gaze from Jacques's soulful brown eyes, I realized that everyone was staring at us.

"Um…Jacques sweetie? Could you let me down? People are staring." I said blushing furiously. Jacques slowly lowered me to the floor and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I looked around to see who had been so rude. Just as I suspected, it was Princess.

Dressed in her purple cheerleading uniform and her curly red hair in two pigtails, she smirked. "Well aren't you two a cute couple?" She asked sarcastically. Leaning against her locker, she glanced disgustedly at my face before sifting her gaze toward Jacques.

I guess she liked what she saw because the corners of her mouth quirked upwards and she quickly whispered to the brunette cheerleader next to her, "Oh My God! What is that boy doing with that dumb Powerpuff when he could be with me?"

Glaring at her, I tried not to let her words get to me. It was just like her to ruin a perfectly happy moment. Turning my attention back to Jacques, I cuddled up to him and quickly planted a kiss on his lips, letting my fingers run through his hair.

"Careful Bubbles!" Jacques warned, catching my hands with his and lowering them to his waist, "It took 30 minutes and a lot of my imported Narcissist hair gel to get my hair the way it is." He opened his locker door and after checking his hair in the large mirror placed in the center, he carefully adjusted a strand and, giving his reflection a wink, closed the door. Giving me a heart-melting smile, he planted a quick kiss on my cheek.

"I'll see you in class, darling. I have to grab a drink and rest my vocal chords." Jacques whispered in my ear before heading down the hall toward the water fountain.

As I made my way toward the theater, I couldn't help but notice Princess flipping back her curls and applying a generous amount of lip-gloss to her lips before scurrying after Jacques, claiming that she needed a drink of water too. I rolled my eyes at her obvious attempt to try and flirt with Jacques. Everyone knew she only drank some Norwegian imported Voss water in fancy glass bottles.

Arriving at the theater, I yanked the door open and breezed in, dropping my tote on the floor; I made my way to my friends Tina and Gina, who were talking animatedly, as they got ready for class. "Morning, Tina! Morning, Gina!" I chirped as I walked up to them.

"Morning Bubbles!" Tina replied, a smile forming on her lips.

"Hey! You are not going to believe what happened to me and Tina this morning!" Gina chirped back, pulling her black hair into a quick, messy bun and bouncing up and down with excitement. Tina cleared her throat and glared threateningly at Gina. I suspiciously glanced between the two girls.

"Oh it's nothing Bubbles, Gina's just so excited about Pokettes. She heard we're going over the choreography in class. Right Gina?" Tina stated through gritted teeth. Gina stared at her confusedly and responded,

"No, I was going to tell her what happened this morning. You remember? Well anyways, Bubbles, care to guess who hit on us on the way to class?"

"Who?" I asked smiling. Gina got so excited about guys. It really made no sense why she was single since she was so nice. I was happy she finally found someone interested.

Similarly, I wanted to know who had the nerve to hit on Tina. Tina was like Buttercup in a way that they both intimidated guys. Laughing internally, I realized that the only boys who hit on Tina were arrogant little freshmen who didn't know any better. Usually Tina sends them away looking shell-shocked and significantly less cocky.

"Butch!" Gina squealed as my mouth dropped open in shock and Tina slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't tell anyone what happened! I mean the Rowdyruffs are kind of their mortal enemies!" Tina hissed, anxiously looking at my face for signs of anger.

"She has the right to know, Tina." Gina retorted. I couldn't believe that Butch just hit on our closest friends.

"Thanks for letting me know, Gina." I replied grimly, "We're going to have to discuss this with Blossom and –"

"Places my lovely Pokettes! We have a lot of work ahead of us! Ms. Utonium, Ms. Takahashi and Ms. Patterson don't dawdle now!" Mrs. Morales called sweeping into the theater and clapping her hands loudly. Sighing, I hurried to my place as the warm-up session began.

After countless complex dance routines later, Tina, Gina, and I stumbled out of the theater. Waving a hasty "See you" to the girls, I swiftly made my way to AP Art. Sitting down at my desk with a thump, I wondered why Butch hit on Tina and Gina but more importantly, where in the world was Jacques? It wasn't like him to miss class, much less Pokettes rehearsal. Shaking off any worries, I pulled out my latest sketch and began to draw. I love the feeling of charcoal between my fingers and the splash of color a couple of oil pastels could add to a simple drawing.

Humming quietly to myself, I was soon immersed in my own world and jumped when I heard the lunch bell ring. Carefully putting my artwork away, I grabbed my bag and ran to the cafeteria. Grabbing my vegetarian lunch tray that the lunch ladies always prepared for me, I headed straight for our table. Gina repeated her news to Blossom and Buttercup.

As soon as Butch's name left Gina's lips, Buttercup bellowed, "What the FUCK?!" causing the whole cafeteria to turn toward our table and Blossom, after reprimanding Buttercup about her use of language, shot a glare at the Ruffs murmuring darkly, "those boys are definitely up to something. I knew they were being suspiciously good. What did I tell you? They are most definitely up to something."

"Told you we shouldn't say anything." Tina cried throwing her hands up in the air, while Gina started to apologize profusely and wring her hands.

"Actually, I would rather you tell us than hide it from us." Blossom replied soothingly draping an arm around Gina's shoulders, "now will you stop apologizing? It's not like you did anything wrong."

"Yeah, you just gave me a reason to kick Bitch's fucking ass!" Buttercup cried gleefully, her eyes suddenly obtaining a far-away look.

Oddly, despite the very apparent lack of Jacques, the rest of the day passed by in a blur. As I placed all my textbooks in my locker, I couldn't help but feel slightly dejected. It wasn't like Jacques to miss eating lunch with me.

"Oh Bubbles, sweetie, I'm sure he'll turn up." Gina cried reassuringly as she patted my shoulder.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom and couldn't tear himself away from his reflection. You know like that Greek myth about Narcissist: the man who fell in love with his own reflection." Tina chimed causing Gina to giggle. "Oh, Jacques," she mocked, holding her hand in front of her like a hand-mirror, "your face it too lovely for words! And your soul is too pure for the grief that shall befall me should I look away!"

"Oh stop it Tina, he's not _that_ full of himself!" I replied, trying to frown at her, but failed to hold back my own giggles. Laughing, we made our way back to the theater for more Pokettes practice. Making our way to the theater door, I opened my mouth to seriously scold Tina when I heard it, an unmistakable nasal giggle that belonged to a certain redheaded cheerleader. Tina and Gina's eyes grew wide as I yanked open the door and froze.

Jacques was leaning over Princess, pressing her against the wall. Grinning, he bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Oh Jacques! You certainly are quite the charmer!" Princess squealed flirtatiously batting her eyelashes and twirling her hair. My breath hitched as Jacques smiled his knee-weakening smile, catching Princess's face in his masculine hands just before he tilted her head up and kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5: Boys will be boys

**Author's Note:**

Miyoreos1023: PPG and RRB and people don't belong to us

Stphne: R and R

Miyoreos1023: I hate this stupid disclaimer thing…ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Boys**

Fucking Butch. He never can keep his fucking mouth shut. It would be one thing to verbally assault Boomer or me or, hell, anyone. But no. He had to verbally assault a Powerpuff, the most powerful one at that. I spun away from Butch, marching back into the school building, briefly noting Blossom was doing the same.

Does he even _comprehend_ how much trouble he as put me in? Not only had a made a promise to the school board that we Rowdyruffs would be on our best behavior, but also that we wouldn't purposefully destroy school property or instigate fights.

According to Butch, he actually _didn't_ instigate the fighting, but he's been known to lie to people, even me, his own brother, who just is trying to keep him in school.

Butch's version of events say that he was in the library, attempting to locate a basic cookbook, as his chores deemed he do, and struck up a cordial conversation with his counterpart, Miss Buttercup Utonium. However, in a fit of rage, Miss Utonium punched him, causing him to smash into one Mr. Oliver Schnooferbroom's desk. After this had transpired, Mr. Jojo retaliated in self-defense, hitting Miss Utonium and caused her to accidentally break through the school's wall, creating a new source of sunlight in the library.

And then I knew what to do to create a spin so that the school-board wouldn't kick us out.

Tense silence enveloped me as I joined Blossom as she entered back into the building. I could see very well checked anger in her body language. Turning to head towards my next class, I noted she turned the other way despite having the same class at me. Ah, well, it's better than having her say something in that haughty tone of hers about how I manage my brothers.

"...Can't even control his own brother. What is this? Butch's fifteenth fight _this week_?" I heard softly, very softly, from behind me. I stopped. Had I been a normal person, I wouldn't have noticed Blossom had said anything but, because of my super hearing, each word to float up into my ear recognizable and distinct.

I turned around. "_What_ did you say?" Blossom flung herself around as well, shooting me a searing glare.

"I _said_ you can't even control your brothers."

"And you're one to talk?"

"Hey, at least _my _sibling didn't instigate it."

"Maybe not verbally, but she sure as hell instigated it physically. Or did you forget that your sister threw the first punch?"

"Not her fault your brother's a pig."

"At least I've come up with a plan to get us out of this mess."

"Please do share, oh, enlightened-one." She shot at me, her pink eyes boring into my own red ones.

"I had recently heard a rumor that the PTA had been talking about putting a new window into the library. You may remember this from last week's student council meeting? Oh wait, you were too busy playing house with that tentacle monster."

"Well at least _I'm _saving the city instead of destroying it, unlike _some_ people I could mention."

I took a deep breath, counted to ten, then let it out. Remember your anger management classes, Brick. Don't throw it all away because of this _Puff._ "You know what? I'm late for class." Turning around, I began walking briskly down the hallway. Let it go, Brick, just let it go.

"I know for a fact that our class doesn't start for another five minutes and thirty-three seconds. _Where are you going?_" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh, you know, to sell drugs, beat up the homeless, corrupt the innocent. You know, the usual." Smirking at her now-slacked jaw, I turned on my heels and walked away, a jaunty tune somehow finding its way past my lips.

* * *

Fucking Brick! Why the fuck is he always up in my fucking business! I stomped inside and stalked down the halls trying to find my idiot brother, Boomer. I needed to punch something and it would seem that since those damn Puffs were off-limits I'd have to go after Boomer. Fucking Puffs. Fucking rules. Fucking education.

Glimpsing something exquisite out of the corner of my eye, I stopped. I leaned against the wall, ruffling my hair from just-rolled-out-of-bed to why-yes-I-did-just-have-janitorial-closet-sex. "Why hello, there."

"Um, hi…there." The first one said, her dark brown hair reflecting the florescent lights as she turned to face me.

"Can we help you?" The second said, her dark Asian eyes glanced questioningly into mine.

"I seemed to have misplaced my name. Can I have yours?" My charm was turned on full force.

"Right…" the first one replied, "I'll catch you later, Gina"

"Yeah, I'll see you at Pokettes practice, Tina." Gina and Tina. Yep, still got the ol' Butch Jojo charm.

The two girls walked off. I stared at Tina's ass as it swayed back and forth. Damn those girls were playing hard to get! But hey, sooner or later I'd get them. Butch Jojo always gets his women.

"Smooth one, Butch," a deep voice from my right sneered. Eyes narrowed, I lazily turning to face the person. Deep green eyes met with black almond-shaped eyes which danced with amusement. It was Seb, the fucker. "I wouldn't go after those two, if I were you. Gina and Tina aren't your type."

"Not my type?"

"You know. Not skanky." Seb said with a shrug.

"All ladies are my type." I said, giving my eyebrows a wiggle.

"Whatever, man. Besides, Gina's too nice. Mess her up and you have to answer to her stepsister."

"Stepsister?" This was just way too fucking fairytale to be true. A nice girl with a nasty stepsister? Seriously?

"Yeah, you just met her. You know, Tina? Their parents met through each other since they were best friends."

I looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know all this shit?"

"This shit happens when you've attended the same school as them since Middle school."

"Whatever, dude. I still think you're a fuckin' stalker."

"At least I wasn't drooling over them like a fuckin' starved dog." He said, throwing a playful punch at my arm.

"Yeah, yeah." I shot over my shoulder as I strode into my class. As soon as my body entered the room, all the hotties turned to look at me. That's right, ladies, the buffet is served.

Flinging myself down in my seat, I ran my fingers through my hair and leaned casually on my hand. Spotting another something out of the corner of my eye, I leaned back in my chair and propped my feet on the desk.

"Ladies," I nodded my head in their direction, sending off a chorus of giggles. "'Sup?"

"Oh, Butch, you're so funny!" I gave a Cheshire-grin back to the 'lady', her blond hair may not have reflect the light as nicely as Gina or Tina's did, but she was quite a bit bustier than both of them combined.

I turned around in my seat to pay full attention to the busty beauty when the teacher walked in. Fuck. Could he _have_ any worse timing? Two more damn minutes and I could have scored my way into a date with her – inevitably ending with me scoring a way into her pants. Fucking teachers. Fucking school. Fucking Buttercup.

Wait – Butterbutt? What the hell was she doing here? Spinning where I sat, I faced straight towards my green counterpart. She was handing the teacher a note.

"Yo, teach! What the fuck is _she_ doing here?" The she-devil spun in her sneakers to face me.

"Butch Jojo, you mind your language when you talk to a teacher, you hear?! And what Miss Utonium is doing taking a little ol' math course. It seems that her guardian has just realized she was not in a math class! But that's them science-obsessed men for you, bless their souls, always have their heads in the nearest theorem book and not in reality!"

"Don't you know, Teach, that when Puffs and Ruffs react it often ends in explosion?"

"Now Butch, you're old enough to get over this silly prejudice you have against our sweet little protectors."

"Me?! Now, Teach, you're being just a little unfair, I mean-"

"Not one more word out of you, Mr. Jojo, or else it's straight to the principal's for you." I huffed in my seat, sitting down. Better to do what she says now than to ignore her and face Brick and his entire wrath later.

Butterbutt strode down the aisle, glancing for a seat. Well, any seat but the one next to me. I smirked knowing well that the only open seat in this entire class was the one sitting to my right. "Oh, Buttercup! Sweetheart! Why, I do believe there's a little ol' seat next to me!" I called out, doing a wonderful impression of our dear teach. The Wicked Bitch of the Utoniums glared at me, realized that I, of course, was right.

"Oh, well that's just as sweet as freshly whipped cream on top of a homemade apple pie for you to offer her that seat, Butch! What, with knowin' your little squabble with her?" Our beloved teacher called out, hands clasped in front of her like she was praying.

"Well? Go on, dear. Take your seat." She looked expectantly at Butterbutt as she grimly walked to her place and sat demurely down. Ginning maniacally, I relished in the fact that she would have to put up with me throughout the rest of the school year. Vengeance was mine.

* * *

"Hey, what do you think about those new X-Box 360 rumors?" I was currently walking to the Pirouetting Pokettes practice with my friend, Christian. Christian was actually one of the very few people that I would actually consider my friend. He was a little Nerdy, but whatever. We both ended up getting sucked into this whole show choir thing simply because I was good at computers and could run sound and he's been trained to run lighting in the auditorium.

"You mean the ones about Project Natal? I saw the preview of it and it looked pretty boss, but I don't know if it'll be good with the X-box since it has the ring-of-death, after all."

"Yeah, I was thinking that too. But I heard it actually fixes it…?" Christian trailed off, as we walked into the auditorium and were immediately struck by a loud gasp.

Flipping my head, I faced the noise as I was immediately confronted with two things. First of all there was some definite NC-17 kissing going on in the general vicinity of Princess. Normally this wouldn't be distressing, quite the opposite, really since it happened practically every time I've been to a Pokettes practice. But what _was_ weird was the fact of who she was doing it with and who her main audience was: Jacques and Bubbles.

"Jacques?" I heard Bubble's softly call, "Sweetie?" No answer. Coming closer, I saw Bubbles put her hand on his shoulder, her voice rough and strained as she tried once again. "Jacques?"

Finally tearing his head away from that of Princess', Jacques faced her, his facial features twisted into slight annoyance. "What do you want? God! Can't you see I'm in the middle of doing something? You're so annoying!"

"But, but I thought…"

"You thought?" Princess cut her off, flipping back her frizzy brown hair. "You mean, you actually had a thought?! Oh my god! Call the press! Bubbles Utonium _actually had a thought_!" Princess cackled, Jacques joining in.

Bubbles' upper lip began to tremble as her eyes began to water. Aw, crap. Here it comes again. I glanced at Christian discretely to get his attention to warn him of the danger.

Plugging my ears, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the blue Puff. She really did love him, in a way. I mean, not as much as he loved himself, but she did love him. Jacques returned to what he was doing before, AKA sucking the life out of Princess when suddenly Bubbles' bubble burst.

A loud-pitched wailing took over the auditorium as she turned to run away. Then something weird happened. Bubbles stopped, barely three meters from the skanky couple and turned. "Jacques" she said in possibly the strongest, most commanding voice I've ever heard escape from her mouth, "we're through you cheating, self-absorbed, son-of-a-bitch!"

However, instead of using the moment to make a scene and bring attention to himself, he kept his energy-sucking-lip-lock on Princess and vaguely waved a hand in her direction.

Princess shifted her lips to Jacques neck, glaring at Bubbles over Jacques' shoulder as she sucked at this particular piece of anatomy. "Oh, okay. See you later, Bubbles." Jacques called before pulling Princess off his neck and sucking the life out of her once more.

This was actually getting a little gross.

Tears welling up in her eyes, Bubbles took off again, heading for the only doors which were situated, unfortunately, behind me and Christian.

Unbeknownst to me, my arm shot out, grabbing her thin arm as she flew past me. Tugging the right side of my mouth up in a sympathetic smile, I said, "You know, Bubbles, there's something really wrong about that guy. Don't let it get to you, okay?"

A watery smile graced her lips as she sniffed. "Thanks, Boomer. Maybe you're not all bad after all." She pulled her arm gently from my grasp and headed for the doors.

Frowning to myself, I couldn't help but curse lightly. Stupid, stupid Boomer. Comforting a Puff? What's gotten into you? I tried shrugged it off and continued on with my current task, Pokette sound cues. But the thing was, I couldn't help but keep replying over and over how her miracle-working smile didn't fully reach her eyes.

"Dude, you feeling okay?" Christian asked, his eyes held a slight confusion.

"Yeah," I replied, brushing off his concern, "I just felt sorry for her, you know?"


	6. Chapter 6: The Truth

** Author's Note:**

Miyoreos1023: This is one LONG chapter…whew it took quite a while

Stphne: PPG do not belong to us, don't forget to R and R, now read…if you want to that is….

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Truth**

As I was collecting my chemistry club supplies from my locker, my ears caught the unmistakable sound of Bubbles' wail. Slamming my locker shut, I dropped my supplies and raced toward the theater skidding to a stop as a bright sky blue streak collided into my chest and a sobbing Bubbles collapsed in my arms.

"Bubbles! What happened!" I cried

"O-oh Blo-blossom I br-broke up wi-with him!" wailed Bubbles in anguish. My eyes widened.

"You mean you broke up with Jacques?" Bubble nodded, her curls bobbing with the motion. "Why in the world did you do that?" I asked.

What was going on here? Jacques made it perfectly clear that he was in love with Bubbles almost as much as he was in love with himself and Bubbles was heads over heels in love with him. They were the perfect couple and everyone in school knew that.

"He wa-was ki-kissing Pri-Princess!" she hiccupped, big tears flowing from her blue eyes and falling to the linoleum floor. Whoa…that was unexpected.

"That jerk!" I hissed, hugging Bubbles tightly. I knew something was up when Jacques didn't show up at our lunch table today. Who does he think he is? Proclaiming his love for her this morning and then kissing Princess in the afternoon.

Personally, I was glad that Bubbles had broken up with that narcissistic jerk. He thought he was some sort of god that everybody should worship, but Bubbles was my sister and she was in love with him, so I tolerated it. But now this, this was unacceptable.

Leading her to an empty classroom, I tried my best to comfort her, chemistry club be damned. As I turned to close the door, I heard the squeak of sneakers as they ran along the hallway and Tina and Gina skidded into the room. Gina rushed across to Bubbles and threw her arms around her, comforting her.

"Oh Bubbles sweetie! Are you alright?" Gina asked anxiously, "I brought some tissues and some chocolate. It always helps me when I'm feeling down." She continued placing a tissue in Bubbles' hand and scattering a number of different chocolate bars on the deck. Tina's face was set in her killer glare, but she softened when she saw Bubbles' sniffling.

"I gave Jacques a piece of my mind." Tina said with some satisfaction. My eyes widened. Tina was known to be blunt about what she thought about people. She even made Gangreen Gang run off like scared puppies one time. That was when she was mad. This time she looked incensed.

"I'm sure he took that well" I said wryly.

"That's the problem," Tina glowered, "I mean he should have been scared or cried or something, but he acted like I didn't even say anything!" She growled angrily, throwing her hands up in the air. Suddenly the door banged open and Buttercup burst into the room. She was still dressed in her practice clothes and was dripping sweat.

"I heard Bubbles' crying. What the _fuck_ happened! I want answers now damnit!" she demanded, her green eyes sparking with anger. She glanced at Bubbles and then raised her eyebrows, her eyes settling on Gina's sinful hoard. "And where the fuck did all that chocolate come from!"

Gina smiled sheepishly, "Well chocolate always makes me feel better and I didn't know what type Bubbles likes, so I brought my whole emergency stash!" She giggled embarrassed.

"It's true, chocolate is known to raise the serotonin levels in the brain and heighten the sense of well-being," I added, my eyebrows raised slightly.

Grabbing a chocolate bar, Buttercup rolled her eyes at me before ravenously tearing a bite out of it and settling down onto a desk.

"Well..." She prompted with questioning eyes, "Someone going to tell me what went down or am I going to have to beat someone up?" I scoffed and took a breath, ready to chide her when Gina interrupted me.

"Jacques was making out with Princess right in front of Bubbles. Bubbles broke up with him, but he didn't seem to care. He was also being a jerk, though really, what's new about that." Gina quickly recounted the story, rolling her eyes at the end.

"I gave him a piece of my mind, but he was so infatuated with his snobby little whore that he didn't even seem to hear me." Tina added with a glare.

"I can't believe he would do this. It's just so…so…Illogical!" I cried out.

Buttercup finished her chocolate bar and, rolling the wrapper into a ball, tossed it neatly into a trashcan in the corner.

"Right. We're so having a blanket party on his head before he leaves school. He does _not_ kiss some snobby rich-ass bitch right in front of my sister, who just happened to be his girlfriend, and get away with it." Buttercup announced, slamming her hands on the desk. I couldn't believe my ears. Why was my sister so violent?

"Haven't you been in enough fights today?" I asked sending her a withering look.

"Look, I had that fight with Butch for my reasons and I understand that you're upset, but this, _this _is personal." Buttercup growled. Bubbles smiled weakly up at her sister before sighing shakily and taking a bite out of one of Gina's many chocolate bars. Where in the world did she get them in the first place? It's a wonder that she still manages to have zit/pimple free skin.

Tina, who had been quietly rummaging her bag, attempted to sneakily sidle over to Bubbles, offering Bubbles her contraband, which suspiciously looked like books. "Here, these might help a bit" She slid the pile of paperbacked novels face down next to the chocolate bars.

Flipping over the novels, I curiously peered down at the covers all of which were romance novels to my immense confusion. Gina's eyes widened.

"Oh, this is my favorite!" She cried, dropping a piece of chocolate and picking up the novel.

"But where the fuck did they come from?" Buttercup asked staring at Tina. Romance novels seemed like something Gina would bring since she was such a hopelessly romantic, while Tina was the type of girl who believed men suck, like Buttercup.

"…Places…" Tina replied blushing furiously under Buttercup's scrutinizing stare. The room fell silent except for the soft flipping of pages and munching sounds of Gina eating her chocolate; She had become completely engrossed in the story, something that always happened when she had a book in her hand. The awkward silence was broken by a soft giggle. Bubbles' had finally stopped sniffling.

"You're one fucked up chick." Buttercup stated before we all collapsed into giggles, except for Gina who looked up confusedly from her book.

"What'd I miss?" She demanded.

* * *

After we calmed down from our giggle attack, Bubbles, Buttercup and I decided it was best to skip our afterschool activities and head home. Tina and Gina, however, decided to return to Pokettes practice, so they could explain what happened to Mrs. Morales and keep Bubbles updated on the choreography and singing that they went over today.

Placing my arm around Bubbles, we headed to our lockers to pick up our textbooks and wait for Buttercup in the car while she went to the girls' locker room to change into her clothes. As much as I cared for Bubbles, I was worried that perhaps my textbooks had been stolen and I couldn't wait to get back to where I had dropped them. Luckily, they lay scattered across the hall and looked relatively untouched. Picking them up, I quickly shut them and stacked them away in my locker for tomorrow's chemistry meeting.

As we made our way to the Infringe, we passed by Princess's purple and yellow sports car where, much to our dismay, Jacques and Princess were passionately kissing in the backseat. Bubbles stiffened and her eyes filled, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Giving her shoulders a squeeze, I quickened our pace.

"Don't mind them Bubbles." I whispered through clenched teeth. Bubbles blinked rapidly and nodded swiftly. Suddenly I heard a cackle and turned around to see Buttercup zoom past Princess's car at super speed, causing the windows to shatter, covering the lip locking couple in shards of glass.

"Sorry," smirked Buttercup, her voice dripping with mock remorse, "There was revolting couple making out and I just had to get away!" She cried over her shoulder at Princess's surprised stare. As Buttercup's words registered in her mind, Princess's face turned fire engine red as she shot a death glare at Buttercup.

"Careful sweetheart," Buttercup mocked, "Your face is starting to match your car. If you don't tone it down your face might explode, not that anyone would care. Actually, I take it back; keep doing it. You end up doing the world a favor since we wouldn't have to fucking look at your ugly ass face anymore." She hollered before shooting into the car, laughing hysterically.

"Really Buttercup!" I huffed trying to scold her, but was unable to suppress a smile. Bubbles giggled in the backseat.

"Did you see her face?" She asked between giggles. Laughing, Buttercup snapped her seatbelt into place and floored it.

"Now we just need to have that blanket party on that pretty boy's head and destroy his good looks. He'll look _so_ fucking ugly by the time I'm through with him!" Buttercup gleefully claimed.

Bubbles gasped and her eyes widened. "You wouldn't! He'll be devastated and hurt!" She paused briefly, thinking. "And you might kill him!" she cried.

"I thought we agreed that you wreaked enough havoc for a week today," I growled at Buttercup. Buttercup whirled around so her green eyes met mine.

"First off, what that jackass Jacques did was personal; _no one_ messes with my sisters and gets away without a beating. And second of all," she turned to face Bubbles, "He was kissing that whore Princess. I think he deserves to be hurt, good looks, narcissism, or death be damned!" I sighed and went to face forward when suddenly I came to the realization that Buttercup didn't even have her hands on the steering wheel.

"BUTTERCUP!" I screamed, "KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD! YOU'RE GOING TO HIT THAT–" Cursing, Buttercup stomped down on the brakes. The Infringe skidded onto the sidewalk and came to a screeching halt right next to a nearby mailbox.

"Are you girls alright?" A man came running out of his house gripping a glass of water in his hand. Taking a sip, he faced his mailbox to see if there was any damage done to it.

"VANDALS!" He suddenly screamed, dropping his glass of water and wrapping his arms around his mailbox. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS MAILBOX?"

"I'm sorry sir, my sister wasn't watching the road and…" I stammered, shocked by his strange behavior.

"Get out of here before I call the police! You've made a scratch in her beautiful paint job and look! Your reckless driving has caused her adorable red flag to be ripped inhumanly off her side!" He cried, his eyes sending a withering glare at each of us. Buttercup quickly placed her hands on the wheel and, with some carefully observed maneuvering by Creepy Mailbox Guy, got the car moving down the road.

"Weirdo," she muttered under her breath, our super hearing catching his murmured conversation to his mailbox.

"It's going to be okay sweetheart, I'll get you fixed up and looking gorgeous in no time. Don't worry about a thing honey! Those horrible girls must have left you traumatized my sweet!"

"He's a nut job" Bubbles agreed, rolling her eyes and twirling her finger in a circle by her head.

"I concur, but seriously keep your eyes on the road Buttercup." I replied grimly.

Pulling into the garage, I was surprised to see the Professor waiting for us at the door. Her smiled grimly and beckoned us to follow him as Belle, a snow white blur, shot out of the house and into Bubbles' arms, licking her face frantically.

"Oh great! Did he find out about the fight?" Buttercup groaned as she trudged out of the car.

"I really can't stand another lecture, I don't think I can handle it on top of the whole Jacques thing," sighed Bubbles, burying her face in Belle's fur. Wrapping an arm around the both of them, I quickly herded them to the living room where the Professor was pacing irritably around the room.

"What's up Professor?" I asked trying to keep my tone cheerful and bright

"Well girls, it's a long story." He gestured toward the couch and we all sat down, turning our faces expectantly up at his. Turning to me, he stopped pacing and clasped his hands behind his back

"Blossom, do you remember that potion I was telling you about this morning?" the Professor asked, his face very grave.

"Of course Professor, but you said you simply misplaced it." I replied nervously.

"Well it turns out that it was stolen." All three of us gasped at the news, knowing that this was probably dangerous. "Normally, I wouldn't really be anxious, but this potion is a very strong liquid love and it could prove to be quite disastrous in the wrong hands. You girls will not be able to bring the potion back to me, because I have a hunch that the potion has already been put to use, but I would like you to find out who stole it and why!" The Professor said as he made his way into the kitchen. Picking up a clean glass out of the cabinet, he turned on the faucet and continued, "Buttercup could you get dinner started? We'll discuss which course of action we'll take after dinner. I would like to have fajitas. Bubbles, could you walk Belle before it gets too dark out?"

That could explain everything. My mind flashed back to the mailbox man's strange behavior toward his mailbox. Then it hit me. The scene replayed itself in my mind and I gasped. The mailbox man had been perfectly normal and worried about whether we were alright before he took a sip of water. He had turned on his mailbox after he took a sip and fallen in love with his mailbox!

"Professor! STOP!" I cried, just as I saw him lift a glass of water to his lips. Shooting an eyebeam at the glass, I destroyed it before he could drink. He looked toward me confused and angry.

"Blossom, I was just taking a sip of water. I'm very thirsty. And what have I told you girls about destructive superpowers in the house?"

"Sorry, Professor, but the potion HAS been used! The culprit placed it in Townsville's water supply! Girls we need to get some bottled water from the grocery store right now!" I cried flying off into the sky with Buttercup and Bubbles following close behind.


	7. Chapter 7: Stupid Cupid

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: I AM SO SORRY! I posted the chapter a day late and I forgot to add an apology on the author's note.

Stphne: dude…we had a huge take home exam to finish. I'm sure our readers won't be too pissed off..

Miyoreos1023: Well in that case, here's chapter 7! I hope you enjoy it!

Stphne: We don't own the PPG or anything except Tine, Gina, mailbox man, that dog that never really shows up, Chris, and Seb. Is that all?

Miyoreos1023: I think so….

Stphne: good….fucking disclaimer…

Miyoreos1023: language…

Stphne: Oh shut up

* * *

Chapter 7: Stupid Cupid…

Another day, another school lunch period. I viciously stabbed my meat with the cheap-o plastic fork the school provided us only to have it fold in half due to the pressure. Remember back in Middle school how they used to provide us with _real_ utensils like metal forks? Now those could take a beating.

Smarty-pants dabbed her mouth delicately as she finished off her 100% fruit cup. "Now remember, girls: avoid the town water supply at all costs. Every one has their water bottles?"

Rolling my eyes, I pulled out the plastic bottle our of my messenger bag. Bubbles nodded enthusiastically before pulling out an identical-looking bottle. "Check!" she said.

Blossom nodded once. "Good. Do you suppose we should tell Tina and Gina?"

Scoffing, I replied, "Naw, their mom's _super_ overprotective. She won't even let Tina and Gina _touch _a water fountain, let alone drink from it. Makes 'em drink water imported from the Swiss Alps."

Blossom nodded absent mindedly, "Yeah, it's probably best not to worry them…"

"Hey guys," called a high spirited Gina as she set down her AP Biology text book on the table and sat down between Bubbles and Blossom.

"Hey," Tina said as she sat down next to me, stealing a fry off my tray.

"Go get you own fucking tray!" I snarled at her, pulling my tray away.

"Bitch." She scoffed back at me.

"Hooker."

"Butch-lover."

I glared at Tina, a growl escaping my throat. "You better take that back."

"Woah, Buttercup!" Tina replied eyes wide and hands in front of her in defense, "I jest! I jest!" Huffing, I turned back to my meal of meat and potatoes and dug back in. "What's up with her?" I heard her attempt to whisper to Bubbles.

"I can still hear you, you know."

"Oh good, that means we don't have to whisper." Tina came back. Growling, I viciously stabbed my meat harder. "Okay, seriously though. What's up?"

"Oh nothing," Blossom smoothly cut in. "She's probably just upset about the Coach making you guys play the boy's lacrosse team this afternoon."

"What?!" Tina shouted, clearly upset at the news. "They're sexist pigs! They always stare at our asses as we run around the field, making ball handling jokes!"

"Hence the bad mood, you freak." Yes, Tina was my friend and yes, you shouldn't treat friends this way, but this is what happens when your coach forces you to practice lacrosse with the men's – or should I say boy's – team. Fucking Coaches with their fucking 'ideas'.

Tina groaned in response, slamming her head down on the table. "Fuck my life."

I saw Blossom tense out of the corner of my eye, trying to keep from telling Tina to mind her language. "Watch your mouth, Tina!" Gina reprimanded her, reaching across the table and high-fiving Blossom. Tina moaned loudly in response.

"It can't be _that_ bad, Tina." Bubbles tried, "I mean, at least they're not hideous looking." Oh she didn't know the half of it. Tina moaned some more in the face of Bubbles' optimism.

"'s not the point, Bubbles," her muffled words came out before she propped her head on her hands. "The point is that those _pig-headed_ boys will grope us the entire practice, claiming that they were just trying to get the ball and, seeing as how it's actually a legitimate excuse, the coaches will slap the boys on the wrist and tell them not to do it again which they disregard and continue to do just that."

"At least," I said as my left eyebrow rose, "until Tina or I punch their fucking lights out."

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Bubbles cried, not really listening to what I was saying.

"Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed. Unfortunately it seems that she was actually listening to what I was saying.

Suddenly, Gina sat straight in her seat. "Oh, crap!" she shouted, seemingly distressed as something. "I forgot!"

Tina raised an eyebrow in her directing, wearily turning her head to face her bubbly stepsister. "What did you forget, now?"

"Christian wanted to compare AP Biology answers with me earlier today!"

Crinkling my nose, I replied, "Christian? _That_ nerd? Why'd you want to do that?" Gina gave me a scathing look.

"Just because he's smart doesn't mean you can make fun of him."

"Yeah, yeah." I dismissed her, waving my hand until a devious thought entered my mind. "You know," I started, leaning into the table to get closer to Gina, "He probably had a _crush_ on you." I could see Gina's cheeks turn a pale shade of red. I smirked. "I bet _right now_ all Christian wants to do is give you a big, ol' smooch right on th-"

"Look!" She exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and effectively interrupting me. Could she get any ruder? "There he is! Heading towards the water fountain! I better go _right now_!"

Running in the direction she saw him go, I called after her, "Have fun with lover-boy!" Snickering to myself, I turned around only to meet with three sets of eyes: two of them glares and one of them amused. "What?" I questioned, returning to stab my meat again. Bubbles and Blossom sadly shook their heads at me as I turned to Tina. "What did I do now?"  
Smiling, Tina slapped me good-naturedly on the back. "Nothing, Buttercup, nothing at all."

* * *

"Come on girls! Keep those legs moving!" I shouted behind me over my shoulder. "Only 1 kilometer more!" I could hear the groans of agony over my shoulder. Smiling, I kicked up the pace a little bit more. It was lacrosse season and I wasn't about to let something as trivial as an aversion to running stop my team from beating those fucking perverts.

I could hear the team huffing behind me as we finally reached the field. Wiping the light sheen of sweat off my brow, I turned to face my team. "Okay, guys, it seems that the coach has decided that it would be 'beneficial' to our team to play the boy's lacrosse team in a 'friendly' scrimmage." A chorus of groaning and general disagreement rang out amongst my teammates.

"But Buttercup, they always _grope_ us!" General shouts of agreement rose with the statement.

Smirking, I shouted back at the group, "Well, then we'll just have to grope them right back!"

Silence fell over the group. I could hear the birds chirping and, very distantly, I could hear the moo of a cow. You never really had complete silence when you had super powers. Glancing at my girls, I noticed a devious smile falling on their faces.

"You know…I've never thought of that."

"Damn straight you haven't! And if it back fires we'll just 'accidentally' loose control of our crosses and hit them in the balls."

"I like that one better!" Tina called out. I rolled my eyes. Naturally she would.

"Let's go!" With an uplifting cheer, the Townsville Lacrosse Pokies Female Division stormed onto the field finally coming face-to-face with the enemy.

Rounding into my position as the center mid-fielder, I came face-to-face with my opponent.

"Hey, Blubberbutt, sure you'll be able bounce fast enough to compete with me?"

"As if that were a problem, Bitch; you're the slowest thing alive."

"Just face it, Blubbercup, girls will never be as good as boys. It's scientifically proven."

My eyes narrowed into his as the boys' coach approached us. "Just try us." I replied back.

"Okay, guys. You know the rules. Let's have a clean, friendly game; oh, and no super powers." I smirked in excitement. The bitch's _boys_ had no clue what was about to happen.

Blowing the whistle, I immediately lunged for the ball, scooping it into my net. Running backward I searched for an opening. "Tina!" I called, locating a pretty legit looking opening. "The green's making my ass too wide, I'm thinking about going purple!" Throwing the ball in a perfect arc, I watched in satisfaction as it soared over the fucking Bitch's head and into the net of Tina. Running, Tina shot ahead of the defensive player who was guarding her and passed to her left.

The ball whipped around the field, flying over the boy's heads until it was almost in front of the goal. "Come on! Let's end this shit!" I cried, jabbing my crosse into the air. We were finally at the goal; it was just my girl versus his goalie. Throwing it with all her might, my mind watched in slow motion as the ball sailed into the upper left-hand corner of the goal, slipping right past his fingers.

"Fuck, yes!" I screamed, running towards the girl who had scored. Passing Butch, I hit his shin sharply with my stick. "Scientifically proven, eh?" Sauntering away, I could hear a growl in form in the back of his throat.

The atmosphere in the girls' locker room was tense as we filed in from the field. The game had just ended a few minutes ago in a tie, something the _never_ happened but was forced on us due to time constraints. Grabbing my lock, I twisted the dial causing the face of it to fly off and leave a large dent in the wall. "God damn it," I swore, melting the rest of the lock off. I was probably going to get talked to about that but right now I couldn't give a flying fuck about it.

Slamming herself down on the bench, Tina ripped out the hair tie causing her dark locks to fall down around her face. "Fuck," she said.

"Fuck," I agreed.

Twisting open her Swiss-alps water bottle, Tina pulled a face as she got the last few drops off of it. "I'll be back, I'm kind of thirsty." Standing up, she made her way outside, trying to get all the sweat evaporated from it by ruffling her hair slightly.

Pulling off my jersey, I threw on my normal t-shirt and jeans. I zipped open my sports duffel bag, throwing my grass-and-dirt-stained covered uniform it and pulling out one of my spare lock.

Suddenly I gasped. Zooming through the girl's locker room at super speed – school rules be damned – I headed in search of the water fountain. Fuck. If Tina drank some of that water, well, I shudder to think what might happen. Spotting the water fountain, I noticed a dark haired boy in a lacrosse jersey bent over drinking from it, Tina right behind him. Heaving a sigh of relief, I couldn't help but notice Tina was tapping her foot impatiently, glaring at the boy in front of her.

"God, how long are you going to drink from it! You've been going at it for like, five minutes! You might try saving a little water for the rest of us." Pulling his head back, the boy spun around with his mouth open for a retort. Oh, fuck.

"First off, who the fuck died and made _you_ dictator of the earth's water supply? Because who the fuck did obviously didn't know what he was doing since you're obviously…" His eyes landed on Tina, his tirade stopping short, "the most beautiful sports goddess I've ever seen."

"Was that supposed to hurt? Seriously, you need help."

"I'd do anything for you."

Staring at him in disgust, Tina back away from the boy, "Fuck, you're creepy."

"No, I'm Seb as in Sebastian. And you are Tina!" He exclaimed, coming closer to her.

"Alright!" I cried, deciding it was well past time to intervene, "Looks like we have to go, right Tina?" Tina looked at me suspiciously though the stare was not without gratitude.

"Right, Buttercup." Tina said, walking towards me.

"It was nice meeting you, Seb. You have a nice day." Grabbing Tina's forearm, I pulled her away from the love-struck boy. "I'll explain it all later." I muttered to Tina as Seb yelled his goodbye to his 'fair, lacrosse-playing nymph' causing me to snort in amusement. Tina glared at me harshly. "What?" I started defensively, "You have to admit. It's kind of funny."

"No, no it's not." Tina stated coldly, ripping her arm from my grasp. "And don't think I'll just forget about this."

Smiling amusedly, I replied, "No, I don't imagine you would. Not for a long time if even then."


	8. Chapter 8: A Clue!

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: MIDWINTER BREAK HAS ALLOWED ME TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER! XD

Stphne: *rolls her eyes* About time too…

Miyoreos1023: *nudges Stphne* Oh shut it….

Stphne: Whatever, you guys know the drill…PPG/RRB don't belong to us

Miyoreos1023: I hate the disclaimer…I have to type ridiculous author's notes…

Stphne: You know you could just say we don't own PPG

Miyoreos1023: What would be the fun in reading a boring disclaimer? Actually…I doubt ANYONE reads this stupid author's note…I'll just type a simple disclaimer next time…

* * *

Chapter 8: A Clue

As I made my way over to our usual lunch table, I was determined not to look in the direction of Princess's table, where a certain slimy ex-boyfriend of mine was feeding Princess her gourmet lunch. However, my super hearing made it hard to ignore them.

"Oh Jacques," Princess simpered, "I love the way you prepared this exquisite lunch for me." My head snapped up. Jacques had never prepared a lunch for me. He was always too worried about ruining the smoothness of his hands or getting food smeared on his designer clothes. As my eyes focused on the couple, Princess caught my eye and smirked. Gritting my teeth, I stared down at my vegetarian lunch and hurried over to where Blossom beckoned worriedly. As I placed my tray on the table, I realized that my hands had left dents on both sides of the tray and slumping in my seat, I glared at the innocent plate of vegetables.

"So you're sure Jacques is under the effects of the potion?" I asked my sisters

"We told you already. Jacques is definitely under the spell. We all know he's only in love with himself." Blossom replied, soothingly patting my shoulder.

"Personally, I'm fucking glad that I don't have to listen to his fucking egotistical speech about how he's the hottest piece of shit ever to walk this earth, because in reality he just a fucking slimeball!" Buttercup retorted, stabbing her meat with her plastic fork and swearing as it broke under the pressure.

Sighing, I replaced her broken fork a new one and started to eat my own lunch. Suddenly, Tina walked into the cafeteria. Glancing over her shoulder, she smirked and sauntered over to our table. She gleefully slid into the chair next to Buttercup and, slapping an envelope in the center, a disheveled Gina came running into the cafeteria.

"You better read it before she gets here," Tina warned as she filched a french fry off of Buttercup's tray.

"What the fuck did I say about getting your own fucking tray?" Buttercup growled as she gently smacked Tina's hand.

"Tina! That's not funny! Give it back!" Gina implored as she made her way to the seat next to mine. Slamming her textbooks on the table, she quickly reached for the envelope, but Buttercup was faster and managed to grab the letter. Tearing the envelope, Buttercup scanned the pages that fell out and laughed.

"Well, well, well, I guess I was right about Mr. I-only-want-to-compare-AP-bio-answers-with-you." Buttercup smirked after glancing at the bottom of the last page.

"Can I my letter have it back now?" Gina asked rolling her eyes. Without waiting, Gina snatched it out of Buttercup's hands and shot a glare at her smirking stepsister before she carefully folded them up and placed them carefully back in the envelope.

"You know, you could have at least let her read it first." I said, letting out a sigh. Buttercup could be very nosy when she wanted to be.

"Yeah, I'm sure she would have let you seen it," Blossom chided

"Guys, Gina already read it," Tina said sounding exasperated.

"Does that mean we can look at the letter?" I asked perking up. I was curious about this letter. Gina sighed and placed the envelope in my eager hand. I felt a soft breeze as Blossom hurried to read over my shoulder.

_Beautiful Gina,_

_I realize that I can't hide my feelings for you anymore. My love for you grew like the flames of a bunsen burner when we were comparing AP Biology answers yesterday. _

I quickly skim read the rest of the letter until I got to the end:

_You are like Persephone, who's so fair that the seasons seem to change for her. I count down the minutes until I can see your lovely face again. _

_You are my eternal life, my eternal soul, my eternal love, Gina._

_Your eternal lab partner_

Wow…that was one heck of a love letter. Then it hit me. Whoever wrote this must be under the effects of Professor Utonium's potion! I glanced at Blossom and the expression on her face confirmed my thoughts.

"Wait, how do you know that it's Christian?" I asked Buttercup suspiciously.

She rolled her eyes before sarcastically retorting, "Well who else compared AP Bio notes with Gina yesterday, genius?" I glared at her, but remembered that Christian had been refilling his water bottle at the water fountain. He must have taken a swig from it while they were comparing answers and fallen in love.

"I just wanted to let Buttercup know that I'm not the only one being compared to nymphs and goddesses and shit!" Tina interrupted my thoughts

"Wait, who in the world compared you to goddesses and nymphs?" asked Blossom, the look on her face told me that she had been thinking about this for a while.

"Some guy named Sebastian." Tina shrugged, "Of course, Buttercup got a kick out of watching him confess his love for me," she added venomously.

"Did this happen to occur by a water fountain?" Blossom demanded and when Tina nodded her head, Blossom groaned and placed her head in her hands. After a minute before she lifted her face with a look of grim determination on her face.

"Well girls," she broke the silence, "It seems like we have to tell Tina and Gina what's going on." Blossom turned to face Gina and Tina. "You see, the Professor accidentally made a very strong liquid love potion and a few days ago he found out that it was stolen. We have realized, through several strange occurrences," Buttercup snorted in the background causing Blossom to pause slightly before resuming, "That the thief has placed the potion in Townsville's water supply. We didn't want to tell you because your mother never lets you drink out of water fountains and we didn't want to get you involved in this whole mess. " Blossom concluded as Tina and Gina stared open mouthed at all three of us.

"Well that explains Sebastian's strange reaction and why Buttercup thought it was so funny," Tina sighed, breaking the silence.

"Does that mean that maybe this love letter isn't really serious?" asked Gina looking slightly crestfallen.

"Don't tell me you actually have a crush on that nerd," Buttercup scoffed, taking a swig from her water bottle as Blossom sent her a death glare for being so insensitive.

"Of course not! It's just…well…It was nice thinking that maybe someone was interested in me and if it's just a potion effect, then I don't even have to worry about it!" cried Gina indignantly, blushing a pale pink and shoving the letter deep into her bag.

"Oh I wouldn't shove that letter in a bag just yet!" snickered Buttercup as she winked at Tina.

"What? Did someone not get the chance to read it?" asked Gina acidly

"Oh no," Buttercup replied with mock sincerity, "It's just that someone's here to see his eternal love"

"Uh…Hey Gina, I was...just wondering if…you know…you wanted to study precalc with me?" came a hesitant voice. Gina stiffened as Christian's hand gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"That depends…" replied Buttercup smirking, "do you want to study for precalc or do you want to…"

"Sure!" interrupted a blushing Gina as she shot out of her chair and grabbed her bag. Shoving a confused Christian away from the table, she shot both Tina and Buttercup a death glare before stalking out of the cafeteria.

"Guys just leave her alone, Chris is probably under the potions affects. Gina can't help it." I chided my cackling sister

"Did you see her face? That…was…hilarious!" Tina managed to gasp as she clutched her stomach and laughed.

"Why hello there my lacrosse playing nymph," a deep voice came from the vicinity of my right shoulder, causing me to jump in my seat and Buttercup to laugh even harder. Tina stopped laughing and glared angrily at Sebastian, who had appeared carrying a tray laden with today's "mystery meat". Tina grabbed a packet of ketchup and aiming it at Sebastian, squirted him in the face and torso.

"Ugh you fucking creeper. Can't you just leave me alone?" Tina growled as she ripped open another ketchup packet and aimed. This time Sebastian ducked and laughed.

"Playing hard to get are we? That's okay, I like my girls feisty." He replied as he seductively licked the ketchup off his lips and winked at Tina before turning around to sit with the Rowdyruff boys. Tina glared at his back as he sauntered calmly across the cafeteria and sat down in a seat between Butch and Boomer.

"And I suddenly want to fucking puke." Tina glowered as she elbowed a still guffawing Buttercup before grabbing her tray and stalking out of the cafeteria.

"Girls, I think we may have a suspect" Blossom interrupted while staring intently at the Ruffs.

"Who? The Rowdy Ruffs? " I asked following her gaze and shooting her a confused look.

"Yeah, if you look carefully, you'll notice Brick is drinking Dr. Pepper, Butch is drinking a Gatorade and Boomer is drinking a Vitamin water. They all have their own bottled drinks. They seem to have a bottled drink or a can of soda every time I see them. I also haven't seen them drink from water fountains since the professor claimed that the potion was stolen." Blossom explained counting off the reasons.

"But they haven't done anything out of lie, like rob a bank or something." I countered biting my bottom lip and twirling a blonde curl around my finger. I knew the Ruffs were bad news, but Boomer had been kind of nice to me regarding the whole Princess-Jacques fiasco.

"Which is exactly why they would have a reason to be guilty now!" cried Buttercup, her eyes lighting up with the idea that perhaps she would get a chance to fight Butch and not get in trouble.

"Exactly! They were keeping a low profile so that no one would suspect them!" Blossom concluded as she continued to gaze intently at the Ruffs. I shifted my gaze to the Ruffs and noticed that Brick had a least three cans of soda peeping out of his backpack, Butch had two more bottles of Gatorade on the table and Boomer had stored a bottle of Vitamin water or two in his backpack.

I sighed at the thought that maybe Boomer wasn't as nice as I thought when I had a thought, "The Ruffs do look like they won't be drinking out of water fountains soon, but they didn't seem too tired yesterday and they would have caused a huge mess in the professor's lab. They were boys after all. Boys make messes and the Rowdyruffs are no exception. With their superpowers they could have easily broken more than a few beakers and Butch would have definitely broken the atomic stabilizer or something and the Professor did say that the potion was the only thing that was missing, so nothing could have been broken and disposed of… " I thought aloud

"Bubbles, will you stop fucking thinking that everyone is good?" Buttercup snapped.

"Language!" interjected Blossom.

"I was just thinking aloud." I retorted.

"Well just because they didn't look fucking tired doesn't mean they didn't fucking do it. I mean they've got chemical X in their fucking bodies just like us and I'm sure your well aware that we don't need as much sleep as regular people. They may not have stolen it, but I don't see them drinking from the fucking water fountains so the culprit must have been someone close to them. One thing's for sure, those fucktards are up to no good." Buttercup glared accusingly at the Ruffs and accidentally snapped a second fork.

"Buttercup, will you please not use that kind of language when addressing your sister?" Blossom asked rolling her eyes at Buttercup. "Anyways, I think we need to pay a certain monkey who goes by the name of Mojo Jojo during the weekend and get him to spill the beans. Our next class starts in five minutes, so I'll see you girls after school." Blossom stated as she daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin and checked her watch. Slinging her hot pink backpack over her shoulder, she picked up her empty tray and disposing of it, headed to her next class, AP Physics.

Sighing, I grabbed my tote and waving good-bye to Buttercup, headed for AP Environmental Science. Hopefully Mojo Jojo would cooperate with us and confess that he was the culprit. Wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn't notice Jacques and Princess until I accidentally bumped into them.

"OH MY GOD YOU JUST GOT VINEGAR DRESSING ALL OVER MY GUCCI SWEATER! YOU'VE RUINED A ONE OF A KIND SWEATER!" Screeched Princess, staring horrified at a small stain the size of pin on her fluffy purple sweater. I sighed, one of a kind? I'm so sure she had duplicates of it at home.

"It's alright darling, this airheaded, dumb bimbo is just a hopeless klutz." Jacques replied soothingly wrapping a toned arm around Princess. Excuse me? I'm not the one taking Foundations of basic Polynomials, Mr. I'm-too-sexy-for-my-shirt.

Rolling my eyes, I quietly flipped a small slice of tomato through the air so that it landed on Princess's frizzy, mousy brown hair before ducking out the door. As her shrieks exploded out of the cafeteria, I scurried to my class and crashed into another person. Ugh it was not my day at all. Unlike the first time, I found myself floating just millimeters from the ground. Straightening up, I looked up to see who had caused me to fall, well almost fall, on my butt and gasped when I saw a certain blonde headed Ruff scrambling to pick up what he dropped. Glancing down, I noticed a bottle of Vitamin water by my foot and quickly picked it up.

"Hey Boomer, you dropped this," I chirped smiling cheerfully as I handed him his drink.

"Uh…thanks….I need that…for…a friend" he muttered blushing red as he snatched the bottle out of my hands and placing it in his bag. He hurriedly zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, but not before I had a glimpse inside. There must have been five different bottles in his bag. I stared puzzled at Boomer's rapidly retreating back, maybe Blossom and Buttercup were right. Maybe the Ruffs were up to something. I mean who carries around five bottles of Vitamin water?


	9. Chapter 9: Interrogating the Suspect

Author Note: 

Miyoreos1023: PPG do not belong to us.

Stphne: Read and Review

* * *

Chapter 9: Interrogating the Suspect

"So by assessing _where_ the particle is in space, you give up the ability to know _how fast_ that particle is moving. In experiments, you can either know where it is or how fast it is, but not both. This is called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle." Briefly jotting some notes, I returned my eyes to the teacher. I had learned this principle a few years back – okay when I was in fifth grade – but diligence never hurt anyone.

The teacher drew another breath and I positioned my pen in anticipation above my notebook when the bell unexpectedly rang loudly. Mentally sighing, I carefully closed my notebook and stowed my pencil away. Another day's learning come to a close. An upwelling of noise over took the room as my fellow classmates did the same with their learning materials.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulders, I began making my way out of the classroom. "Read pages 418 through 433 in your textbook and take summary notes!" I rolled my eyes at the teacher's parting words. Seriously, did he even need to add that last bit? You'd think by now students would know what was expected from him. Turning to exit through the door, I ran into a firm body causing myself to fly back only missing hitting the floor by a few invisible millimeters, thanks to the Chemical X running through my veins.

Pretending to have landed on the floor as not to alert the other kids of my accidental slip, I unceremoniously rubbed my coccyx – er, my tail bone. I heard a slight scoff come from above me. "Ever the graceful one, aren't you, Blossom." He took a swing out of his soda can.

"Always the gentleman, aren't you, Brick." Standing up, I pushed my way out of the room. Really, I should have known that it was one of the Ruffs – who else could have the strength to knock over a Powerpuff Girl? Normally if I had run into someone it would have been _them_ who went sprawling on the ground, as shown by the incident in middle school. Nothing helps a middle school girl's pride quite like knocking her crush over, causing him to slide at least two meters after accidentally running into him.

And what business does Brick have alluding to that incident anyways? I angrily spun the dial on my locker. That boy makes me so mad, if I could I swear I would just grab his ear and put in it in the most intense vice grip he's ever experience. Opening my backpack, I grabbed my AP Physics binder and AP Calculus binder and threw them into my locker.

"What's up, puddin' cup?" I heard a call come from one side of me. Bubbles was back to her cheerful self – kind of. Underneath there was a tone of sadness, but it seems she was doing better.

"Nothing important." I spat angrily, slamming my locker closed. "You ready to go?"

"Go where?" A voice asked over my shoulder. I spun around to face my other sister, exasperated at the fact that she _never_ listened to me.

"We discussed this at lunch!"

"…we did?"

"Yes!" I stalked off in the direction of our vehicle.

"But I was going to have lacrosse practice after school!" She whined loudly, following me. "The fields open today and I think we could really use it to go over…"

"It's Friday, Buttercup, give them a rest." Grumbling, she finally acquiesced. "Alright, here's the plan. We go home and drop our stuff off; afterwards we fly to Mojo's observatory and search for clues around the building."

"Like what?" Bubbles asked.

Groaning, I warily rubbed a hand over my forehead. "I don't know! Suspicious things like…empty beaker tubes or…and excess of water bottles."

"Oh," Bubbles said, nodding her head, "that makes sense."

"Anyways, after that we'll start looking in his moat…"

"Wait," Buttercup interrupted me again, "wouldn't it just be easier to knock on the door and ask him some questions?"

I stopped walking, stunned. For once, Buttercup had a point – a very valid point. "Okay new plan, we go up to Mojo's house and ask him some questions." Buttercup smirked as she unlocked our car. "However, they can't just be 'Hey Mojo, did you _happen_ to steal some of the Professor's anti-monster potion which just _happened_ to actually be a really strong form of liquid love?' That would be inane." Opening the door, I delicately sat down in the passenger's seat as Bubbles situated herself in the back.

Buttercup scowled, "I knew that. God, Blossom, I may be blunt but I do have _some_ skill in wheedling stuff out of people." Tossing her bag in the trunk, Buttercup plopped herself down in the driver's seat.

* * *

For some unknown reason why, I just couldn't get over flying. I've been doing it most of my life – actually all of my life, but still whenever I first entered the air and feel it's fingers slide through my long red tendrils, well, it's indescribable. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like, just to stay forever in the air flying, but then I reach my destination and come back to the ground. Deal with real life in all its formalities.

Sighing, I sank to the ground with my sisters, our touch-down smoothly transferring into a walk. 18 years of practice will allow you to figure out how to do these kinds of tricks.

Frowning, I noticed a large van sitting at the bottom of the stairs which lead to the Monkey's house. "Hey, Bloss, what do you think that van's doing at Mojo's?"

My frown deepened. "I don't know, Buttercup. But one thing's for sure – that's a beverage truck."

Bubbles laughed nervously. "Maybe there was a special two-for-one down at the grocery store?" Ignoring her, Buttercup and I moved straight towards it.

"Thank you so much, Mister…Jojo! Your purchase is greatly appreciated!"

"No. It is I who should be thanking you for it was you who brought the beverages which I had purchased so that I may consume them so that I will not be parched any longer and as such will not need to drink water to quench my thirst so it is you whom I should be thanking."

"Right…I'll see you next week Mr. Jojo!" The upbeat man jumped into the front of his truck and drove away, pollutant lazily curling from the top of his exhaust pipe.

"Hey there, Mojo!" Bubbles called out, waving exuberantly.

"B-B-Bubbles!" He cleared his throat, "I mean, the Powerpuff Girls! What brings you to this place, this place where I, Mojo Jojo, conduct many experiments and is also my home, which is where you currently are located at the bottom of?"

I narrowed my eyes. "We were just wondering what you were doing two nights ago."

"Two nights ago? You mean the night before the previous evening, as in yesterday's yesterday evening?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Uh, yeah. That's what we asked."

"Hm…I, Mojo Jojo, am under the impression that upon the eve of the day previous to yesterday, that is to say two nights ago, I was in my observatory working on my latest invention and, as such, was indisposed meaning that I, Mojo Jojo, was busy two nights ago in my observatory inventing inventions which I may or may not use at a later date."

"Okay then…" Bubbles said, her eyes slightly narrowed in confusion, "then why do you have all those bottled beverages?"

"Yeah," continued Buttercup, "bottled beverages bottled outside of Townsville?"

"Ah. Yes. That is a good question asked by you, the questioner, to me, the questioned. Also on the day before yesterday, which is also two days ago, I entered a raffle to win beverages, that is, a raffle was held to which I, Mojo Jojo, won and, as such, was able to acquire all of these beverages of many different assortments. Is this all you, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, wished to speak to me, Mojo Jojo, about because these beverages, which I have won in a raffle that was held the day previous to yesterday, need to be carried up to my abode, which is where I do my drinking."

A loud bang suddenly permeated through the air. "Yo! Pops! We're thirsty already! Give us our drinks, okay?"

Remorse fell over me. How could I think such a thing? I just jumped to the conclusion that…well…

"You know, Mojo, if you need some help carrying those crates up…" I awkwardly offered.

"You, you girls would do that for me, Mojo Jojo?"

"Sure!" Replied Bubbles happily, "We're always happy to help!"

"Yeah, yeah." Buttercup muttered, hoisting two large crates with each hand. "Where do you want these to go?"


	10. Chapter 10: Helping Mojo

Author's note:

Miyoreos1023: OMG I AM SO SORRY!!!!

Stphne: we thought we were uploading chapter 9 last week, but we were actually supposed to upload chapter 10

Miyoreos1023: I feel so bad! It was kind of my fault! I didn't finish chapter 8 in time, so Stphne had a hard time starting chapter 10!

Stphne: We also had that 8-10 double spaced research paper and you had like a million things going at once…not to mention you had to go visit your grandpa at the hospital…

Miyoreos1023: Well anyway WE ARE SO SORRY!! And since it is Spring break, I'll write a lot for you guys!!

Stphne: Okay, we're sure you want to read so *takes deep breath* PPG does not belong to us and please Read and Review! It actually makes us want to write for you guys! :]

Miyoreos1023: yes, the more reviews we get the more we write because, that tells us that you guys like the story and want more :] ANYWAYS ENJOY THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER !

* * *

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, hoisting two large crates with each hand. "Where do you want these to go?"

"Well, seeing as the crates, which I obtained from that contest which I won, have beverages in them, I think that they should be place in the room that is the kitchen." Mojo said, gesticulating wildly.

"Right, we'll get on that, Mojo." Blossom replied crisply, all hints of ashamed bashfulness gone from her voice. "Let's do it girls!"

Grabbing one of the crates for herself, Bubbles daintily picked up the other. "Not to be rude, Mojo, but why don't you have the Rowdyruff Boys do this kind of thing?"

Mojo sighed deeply. "It would seem that the boys, that is to say the Rowdyruff Boys whom I refer to affectionately as to connote my affection to them as a father, are lazy. They refuse to do work and as such I am forced to do their work for them."

Buttercup scoffed, "Typical. Hey, let's hurry up. We're supposed to meet Tina and Gina tonight at six and you know how Tina is about waiting." Blossom nodded and began slowly ascending the stairs as to not drop any of Mojo's stuff. Following her, I glanced back at the pile of crates at the bottom. There were about 20 crates at the bottom. It was currently 5:45 PM. Fuck. We weren't going to make it. Blossom had just reached the door and was going through it, And, as if fate had decided that we were her new favorite people, I could feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Pushing past Blossom, I roughly set the crates down in the empty kitchen. "Hey."

"Where the fuck are you guys?"

I sighed, running a hand through my locks, "We'll be there soon, okay? Shit came up and now we're stuck having to help Mojo."

"Wait…Mojo Jojo? As in the guy who lives in that creepy-ass observatory on top of the local volcano? The one who is your self-proclaimed arch-nemesis? _That _Mojo Jojo?"

"…It's a long story."

"Oh, okay, well, Gina and I are in the neighborhood so we'll go over there. See you soon." A click resounded through the speaker followed by the dial tone.

"Yo, Pops? Where the hell are our sodas at?" A voice boomed from down the hall. Fantastic. Now it will be Gina, Tina, my sisters, Mojo Jojo, _and_ the Rowdyruff Boys. Fuck.

Butch suddenly rounded the corner. "What the fuck? Why are _you _here?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at my intrusion into 'his' abode.

"Well, Bitch – I mean Butch, it seems that since you and your brothers are generally incapable of being anything but large, shit-filled douche-bags, your 'father' asked us to help him. And I use the term 'father' lightly because it seems that despite 13 years of parenting you and your brothers have actually regressed to the maturity of three-year-olds."

"It seems that you have yet to change either because you are still the bitchy ice-queen that you were when you were in Kindergarten. Actually, I take it back. You've achieved the role of cock-blocker, too."

"Cock-blocker!?" I roared, "Never have I _once_ done anything to prevent you from screwing your stupid bimbos! If they want to screw the stupidest thing around then who am I to stop them?"

"No, but if you would stop spreading your stupid feminist bull-shit about how men are the bane of the world then I could get a lot more!"

"Maybe you could 'get' more girls if you weren't so fucking revolting!"

"Maybe you'd get more guys if you weren't such a cock-blocking, psycho bitch!"

"Don't blame your inability to score chicks on me." I said calmly, one eyebrow delicately. I was actually quite proud of this as I had spent many hours trying to perfect this one move just for these occasions. Time which Blossom said was better spent doing homework.

"Fuck you!" Butch yelled in a rage.

"You wish you could." I hissed back at him, my eyes narrowed dangerously. I heard a faint cry of 'Buttercup!' followed by a groan right before he lunged at me, hands outstretched for my neck. Then a blur knocked into him causing them to slide into the metal wall of Mojo's kitchen.

"Seriously, Butch? Did we _not_ just go through this?" Brick was sitting on Butch's chest, effectively pining him down. I smirked broadly at his predicament. Normally when he and I fought and I pinned him down like that, he'd use his superior strength to flip me over.

"She's a fucking _bitch_, Brick!" Butch continued to struggle against his brother but still got nowhere to my great amusement

"We don't need to be vilified even more than we already are so calm the fuck down!" Finally Butch stopped struggling against Brick and lay on the floor switching his glares between me and his brother. Brick got up and offered a hand to his brother.

Butch narrowed his eyes further and ignored it. "I though it was supposed to be 'bros before hoes'." He strode out of the room, bumping his shoulder roughly against his brother's. Brick shook his head slightly before turning back and striding past me.

"I'm sorry for my brother's outburst." He addressed Blossom, walking over to her awkwardly. Wait…what the crap?! _I _was the one who was _assaulted_!

"Hey asshole," I called over to him, "my face is over here."

My sister glared at me. "Buttercup! Is that any way to treat someone when they're apologizing?"

Scoffing, I countered. "Well, I wouldn't of said it if fuck-face hadn't apologized to the _wrong fucking person_."

"He was apologizing as a team-leader to the other team-leader, a diplomatic tactic used when one independent nation offends another!" Blossom exclaimed. "However, you would know this if you would just pay _attention_ at school every once in a while!"

"Fuck you, Blossom!"

"Oh god, fuck yes." Okay, who the _fuck _said that? I whirled around, my anger intensifying. To my horror, Butch occupied the doorway, a far off look in his eyes. "God that would just be…wow…" My left eye twitched.

"What did you just _say_, Bitch?"

Snapping out of it, he noticed the glares coming to him from three sets of eye. Butch looked me in the eyes. "Actually, now that I think about it, the scene could do without you. You know, just your hot sister. And me. In the dark, alone."

I screamed and launched myself at him, throwing his body back into the wall, and grabbing a fist full of his hair. Using it as leverage, I smashed his dense skull into the metal wall, watching in immense satisfaction as a large dent began to appear.

Sighing, Blossom flicked her fingers towards me, a pink glow surrounding my body just as a red glow began surrounding Butch's.

"That was completely immature!" Blossom exclaimed, her kitten heels making light clicks as she walked toward us.

Scoffing I looked at Butch. "Way to go, Bitch, now you've set her off."

"Be quiet Buttercup, I'm talking to you too!" I shut my mouth and glared at her. "Seriously, it's like we can't leave you two in the same room together for more than three minutes without something getting destroyed! Grow up! Get past these prejudices you have for each other! Bubbles and Boomer are getting along quite nicely and you don't see Brick and I going at each other's throats!"

"Not that Brick wouldn't mind going after your throat." Butch growled seductively, winking at his brother. Brick amused look turned into an icy glare as Blossom seethed, her foot tapping on the kitchen floor.

Snickering, I turned to Butch and held my fist out. "Nice one!" Casually he stuck his own out and bumped it.

"You two are impossible!" she cried, spinning on her heels and stomping out. After giving his brother one last glare, Brick left the room as well.

Butch and I sat there for a moment, the silence surrounding us. It was weird, for once in my life I actually didn't want to kill him. I kind of like this feeling. Maybe he's not such a bad person after all.

"Look, babe, I know I'm hot and all, but I'm just not in the mood now, okay?"

I take it back. All of it. Using my feet to push off, I jumped slightly into the air, and landed roughly back onto his body. Letting out and 'oomf', Butch groaned as I clambered off him. "Fuck you!" I called out to him over his moans.

"Yeah, you wish you could!"


	11. Chapter 11: Him's Lair of Love

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: Huzzah for spring break! I had time to write A LOT! :]

Stphne: I was in Hawaii :]

Miyoreos1023: PPG do not belong to us, neither does Him, Mojo, Prof., Ruffs, you know the rest! Actually, Bangkok Traffic Love is a real Thai Drama, so if you want to look it up, go to youtube :]

Stphne: Read and Review!!

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Reaching down to grab the last box of drinks, I froze when I heard the sound of something heavy thudding to the floor and a series groans quickly followed. Wincing, I turned around just in time to see Buttercup saunter out of the kitchen with a self-satisfied smirk. Whatever she did to Butch sounded like it hurt quite painfully. Blossom was going to be furious, seeing as she just walked out of the kitchen after reprimanding Buttercup for attacking Butch for what seemed like the 10th time this week.

"Buttercup! Didn't we _just_ go over this?" Seethed Blossom, whirling around on her bubble-gum pink kitten heels, hands planted on her hips.

"What?" My green sister asked shrugging her shoulders, looking like the perfect picture of innocence. The innocence shattered as Butch floated past her rubbing his back and groaning. Although it was obvious that he was exaggerating his state of pain, Blossom's eyes narrowed and her glare intensified. Growling, Buttercup shot a death glare past Blossom at Butch's winking face. Then, dropping her façade, she crossed her arms and retorted, "Yeah, well Bitch fucking deserved it!"

I sighed. Here it goes again. Trying to ignore the possible fight that my sisters were about to have, I spun around to finish the task I had started only to see that the box had gone missing. That's funny. I knew I just left it here, the box couldn't have just moved by itself could it?

"Looking for this?" I looked up to see Boomer grinning as he hefted the box from one hand to the other, his blue eyes twinkling behind his black-framed glasses.

"Actually yes, but seeing as you've got it, you can take it to the kitchen yourself," I replied with a smile before zooming over to my fighting sisters. Buttercup and Blossom were standing face-to-face, sparks flying between their eyes. Literally. I had to stop them before they broke something…else.

"Hey weren't we supposed to go see Tina and Gina at 6?" I interjected desperately trying to get in between Blossom and Buttercup. Blossom's glare instantly melted into a look of horror and she quickly lifted her wrist to check her watch. Tina was a firm believer in the saying 'To be early is to be on-time. To be on-time is to be late. And to be late is unacceptable'.

"Oh no! It's already 6:15! Tina is not going to be very happy about this," muttered Blossom as she clutched at her forehead.

"Relax Blossom, don't get your panties all up in a twist. Tina called 30 minutes ago; they're on their way here," replied Buttercup. "I explained our predicament and they should be here right about…"

"Blossom? Bubbles? Buttercup? We're here!" I could hear Gina's voice timidly calling from Mojo's front door.

"See, I told you they would be here. Now let's go!" Buttercup smirked and started to float off the ground.

"They better hurry," retorted Tina, "this place gives me the fucking creeps. Oh fuck." Tina wearily said, "What the crap at _they_ doing here?" We all turned to each other, puzzled, as Tina's voice took on a higher level of disgust and Gina started to giggle.

"Do my eyes deceive me? No, for it is my fair lacrosse-playing nymph standing before me! Gracing me with her beauteous presence!" A masculine voice, similar to the one we heard at lunch permeated through the air.

"Get the fuck away from me you creeper!" replied Tina, and Gina's giggles suddenly stopped.

"Gina? What are you doing here, my love?" A new voice floated from the open door. I felt my eyebrow rise slightly. This is going to be quite interesting. Exchanging worried glances with Blossom, I turned to look at the Ruffs. I take back my words; it was going to be more than interesting. It seemed like the Ruffs didn't quite know about their friends being in love with our friends.

"Oh hi Chris, I was just here to…Why are you kissing my hand?" Asked Gina sounding quite flustered.

"Seb?! Chris?!" the Ruffs eyes widened as they recognized their friends' voices. We all flew to toward the voices in time to see Tina backing away from Sebastian and Gina trying to stop Christian from kissing her hand.

As soon as Tina caught sight of us, she glared at the Ruffs. "Could you please control your friends?" She demanded looking angrily from Sebastian to Christian. The Ruffs simply stared bewilderedly at their love struck friends whom were still attempting to romance Gina and Tina.

"Um, I think we'll just go home. Can we take a rain check on that group dinner?" Gina asked hesitantly as she jerked her hand out of Christian's grasp and backed hurriedly down the stairs. Tina nodded in agreement before shoving Sebastian roughly into the doorway and racing after her sister.

"That's good, I like my girls rough." Smirked Sebastian as Chris called "wait!" and both boys started to chase Tina and Gina down the street.

"Well there goes our evening plan," huffed Blossom, glaring at the three dumbstruck boys. "They can't even control their own friends," she added before lifting her feet and flying home.

"What? Like it's our fault Chris and Seb are acting strange?" Retorted Brick at Blossom's retreating back.

"Yeah, did you ever think that maybe one of your stupid, girly friends did something stupid and girly to them?" Boomer added in. A long paused pervaded in the air followed by a loud smack. Boomer rubbed the back of his head, glaring at his brother. I quickly stifled my giggle. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Shut up and stop being an idiot."

"Okay then…whatever. We carried the boxes and now I'm just getting the fuck out of here," muttered Buttercup as she shot through the sky. Waving good-bye to Mojo and the boys, I followed the fading lime green and pink streaks of light that my sisters left behind.

* * *

"I can't believe that Tina and Gina fucking ditched us! I mean what the fuck?" cried Buttercup, flopping onto the couch and turning on the TV. Settling down, she rapidly flipped through the channels until she settled for watching the sports channel.

"Well look on the bright side, at least we can try to figure out the next suspect," Blossom replied cheerfully as she pulled out a small, pink pocket-notebook and clicked open her ballpoint pen.

"So far we can mark off Mojo, he wasn't guilty of anything," Blossom continued, crossing off Mojo's name and staring skeptically down at the otherwise blank sheet of paper. Blossom began muttering to herself, trying to think of people we could include as suspects and Buttercup…well…she was doing something. As my sisters immersed themselves into their own thoughts, I had an idea.

"Hey guys? I think I may have a suspect!" I announced brightly

"Who?" Blossom demanded, her head shot up and her eyes latched onto mine.

"Well which villain is girly enough to try to make the whole city fall in love?" I asked bouncing excitedly on the couch. No answer.

"C'mon guys, think hard," I urged as my sisters remained mute.

"God-dammit Bubbles, just tell us already!" Snarled Buttercup as she launched a pillow at my head. Catching it neatly in my hands, I placed it in my lap.

"Him!" I said brightly. "You see, lately he's been into those Korean dramas and playing matchmaker. Plus, the Ruffs are his 'sons' too, so even if it wasn't Mojo, it could have been him!" I concluded, carefully watching my sisters' faces.

"You know? You might be on to something," Buttercup replied a smile creeping across her face.

"Let's go pay a little visit to Him." Blossom replied, an identical smile creeping across her face.

* * *

"Just remember girls, cool and calm." Whispered Blossom under her breath, "We just want to ask Him a few questions. And please, don't lose your temper Buttercup," she continued as she firmly pressed Him's doorbell. Buttercup simply scoffed.

"Coming~!" came Him's signature singsong voice from within.

"Is it just me or does Him sound a little strange?" Buttercup turned, looking puzzled. Come to think of it, Him sounded a bit like he had a stuffed nose.

"Well hello, Powerpuff girls!" Him sang, opening the door. Our jaws dropped open. Instead of his usual outfit, Him had on a fuzzy pink bathrobe, a box of tissues under his arm and a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers on his feet.

"Him? Are you feeling okay?" I asked

"I suppose, unfortunately I have this nasty cold," Him answered, blowing his nose.

"Well is it okay if we come talk to you?" Blossom asked politely.

"Alright, fine," Him sighed, "but make it quick. Bangkok Traffic Love is on and I can't bear to miss an episode!" Him added, opening the door wider. As we filed into Him's lair, we noticed that his entire viewing station was indeed set to the foreign drama channel from the way images of star-crossed Asian lovers flickered across the multiples screens. The pink rug was littered with used tissues and next to his armchair were a rather large bowl of chicken soup, a mug of hot tea, and a couple of small pill containers. Him sat down heavily on his chair and pressed the mute button on his remote. As Him cleared away the tissues, we quickly scanned the room. My eyes fell on a green army backpack with a suspicious yellow sticker on the bottom. I stared at the sticker and gasped as I saw that it had the word "biohazard" in bold black print. Gasping, I nudged Blossom and Buttercup and pointed at the bag.

"AH-HA! Where were you three nights ago?" asked Buttercup, her eyes lighting up when they landed on the sticker

"I was at the doctor because, as you can see, I am sick," Him replied with a huff. Him blew his nose, for extra emphasis.

"Well than whose bag is this?" asked Blossom grasping one of the backpack straps and, with a flick of her wrist, sent it flying into Him's lap. Him stared at the green bag on his lap and looked up puzzled. Then a look of realization fell across his face. Realization and disgust.

"Oh this bag?" Him's nose delicately wrinkled in revulsion. "It's Butch's bag. He was here last week, before I got sick. Why do you ask?" Shivering in revolt of the dirty thing, Him pushed the bag of his lap and reached over to take a sip of tea.

"Well the Professor is missing something from his lab and the item had a similar yellow sticker on it." I replied, hoping that maybe Him would claim that he didn't take the potion, confessing to the crime as I actually hadn't said what was stolen.

"And what, pray tell, would I want with something your Professor made?" Scoffed Him. "I was actually going to have a draught this week and, since my boys would be at Mojo's and I didn't want them to dehydrate, I urged Mojo to enter that drink contest." Him sighed loudly before grabbing another tissue and blowing his nose. "But unfortunately, I had to catch this horrible bug that's circulating among the villains. And at the most inopportune moment too…" Him's little rant was interrupted by a slamming door.

"What is your problem, Butch? How do you forget something as important as a backpack?" We heard Brick roar as they stormed into the room. Butch opened his mouth to retort back at Brick when Him sneezed.

"Oh hello boys! Butch, here's your backpack and don't forget to say hi to the girls," Him smiled, happily ignoring his "son's" outburst and lifting Butch's bag from the floor. The Ruffs' eyes widened at the word girls and they swiftly turned their heads in our direction. I saw Butch raise his eyebrows in interest.

"Look babe, I know I'm irresistible, but you have to stop stalking me. It's coming off as clingy." Buttercup's eyes narrowed as Butch smirked seductively.

"In your fucking dreams," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Mmm, yes you are." Stomping over to the nearly-forgotten bag, she grabbed it from Him's claw, strode over to him and thrust it in his face. "Where did you get this yellow biohazard sticker?"

Unamused, Butch replied. "That's not exactly a biohazard sticker Butterbutt. That's the name of one of Osmotic Pressure's new songs," Butch replied pointing to the fine black print along the edge of the sticker. It did indeed say Osmotic Pressure, one of Buttercup's favorite bands. Buttercup's face reddened and, clearing her throat, she quickly dropped the bag like it was a hot potato.

"Well in that case I think we can leave girls," she called gruffly, spinning around. I quickly stifled a giggle and started to float off the ground when suddenly Boomer's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, preventing me from leaving. Alarmed, I immediately stopped in my tracks. What is that boy doing? Glancing at my sisters, I saw that their counterparts had prevented them from leaving as well.

"Just a minute," Brick spoke, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is going on here? You puffs seem to be everywhere lately…"

Blossom chuckled nervously before answering. "Oh you know, checking up on villains, it's what we do, you know, to keep the town safe and stuff." She wrenched her arm away from Brick's grasp, but he simply grabbed her other arm.

"Oh boys~!" Him interrupted, "look it's Seb and Chris!" Him had gotten rid of Bangkok Traffic Love and had summoned up his numerous screens that showed him different areas of Townsville. We crowded around the screen to see what was going on.

Seb and Chris seemed to be walking along the sidewalk, their faces set with determination. After a few minutes of walking, Seb and Chris stopped in their tracks and their expressions were filled with love. Him widened the screen and we all gasped to see Tina, looking murderous yet embarrassed, and Gina, looking confused and a bit troubled, walking toward them.

"Oh boys, it looks like your friends found love at last. Now if only you boys would find that special someone," Him cooed, caressing the screen with the tip of his claw. "At least Bubbles has…" Him paused as my face hardened. Him's face scrunched up. "Oh dear you aren't with him anymore, are you?" Him asked turning toward me. Buttercup and Blossom hardened their gazes as well.

"No, I'm not." I hissed crossing my arms protectively over my chest. Why would Him bring Jacques up? I mean I understand his addiction to Korean romance dramas, but my love life, or lack thereof, was not some sappy soap opera nor was it something I wanted to discuss with a villain.

"Well I suppose things like that happen," Him shrugged, looking nonchalant. "So tell me, did he dump you or did you-"

"HIM!" I turned as Boomer interrupted Him's eager question.

"What did I do now?" Him asked looking quite surprised.

"What is your problem?" asked Brick, looking at his brother in bewilderment. Boomer blushed under all of our baffled gazes. He continued to redden as he brushed his fingers through his hair and stuttered. "Ah….er….my, my pillow isn't fluffy enough!" he cried wildly pointing at the couch. Butch and Him began to smirk knowingly while Brick's Blossom's and Buttercup's eyes narrowed. Stifling a giggle, I turned towards my sisters. "I think we should leave now." I turned back to the boys. "See you guys around!" Buttercup merely cocked her eyebrow before lifting her feet off the ground, wisely letting the matter drop while Blossom shrugged in dismissal before following her example and we all started heading back home. As we flew through the air, I heard a soft thud coming from Him's lair and, slowing down, I started to pat my pockets. Letting out a large sigh, I stopped mid-air. Great. I dropped my cell phone.

"Bubbles, what's wrong?" asked Blossom stopped flying as well and looked at me with concerned.

"Oh nothing, I think I dropped my cell phone. I'll be right back!" I called over my shoulder as I quickly turned around.

"Just hurry up!" Buttercup grumbled, floating in midair.

As I returned to Him's living room, I saw Boomer bend down to pick up my sky blue cell phone. "Oh oops, I guess dropped my cell phone as we were leaving!" I giggled. As I made my way over to Boomer, I tripped on Butch's backpack and tumbled into Boomer's arms, knocking off his glasses.

As I fell, I couldn't help but notice the way that Boomer's biceps bulged as they instinctively wrapped around my waist. "Oh sorry, I'm such a klutz at times." I cried blushing and quickly righted myself. Picking up his glasses, I turned to hand them to him and stopped. He had the most stunning deep blue eyes I'd ever seen. He blushed and quickly held out my phone to me.

"You know, I never realized, but you have really pretty eyes," I said cocking my head and trading him his glasses for my cell phone.

"Uh…Thanks," Boomer replied shifting his gaze, sliding his glasses on and obscuring his eyes once more.

"BUBBLES HURRY UP!" My sisters' shouts snapped me out of my daze.

"Well I better go! I guess I'll see you around!" I giggled and flew toward my impatient sisters. As I flew off, I couldn't get my mind off of Boomer's oceanic blue eyes. I wonder if he ever wore contacts…


	12. Chapter 12: Suspicious Minds

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: Ohh this is gonna be good :]

Stphne: *rolls her eyes* Ruffs and Puffs don't belong to us but other characters do. You get the idea.

Miyoreos1023: We would like to thank Canzie for reveiwing every chapter! YAY CANZIE!!! Fellow readers please follow her example and review, or stphne and I might just stop writing..No joke the reviews help us understand if you guys like it and if we should continue...Thanks!

* * *

"Yeah, I'll uh…see you around…" I trailed off, as a pure light blue streak set off across the sky. Funny, I never noticed it was just slightly darker than the blue of the sky. Turning around, I noticed with my brothers and 'mother' watching me.

"Oh, Boomer~!" Him sang, floating over to me, "Why didn't you tell me you and that lovely Bubbles were involved?"

"What?!" I cried, "We're just friends!" Bubbles…and me? I could feel my cheeks heat up a bit as Butch and Brick began cracking up.

"Aw, look at the little love-bird blushing!" Brick mocked.

"Guys! Shove it! I told you I just want to be friends with her!"

"Wait…bro. This is serious." Butch walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders, "Please, _please_ tell me that you're planning on groping her."

"What?! No!"

"Not even a little?"

"No! That's…that's…I'm not even interested in her that way!"

Butch smirked widely, "Sure you aren't." Turning around, he walked back to Him's puffy couch and flopped onto it. "Boomer and Bubbles, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-"

"Shut up!" Whirling around to face him, I ripped off my glasses and shot my lasers at him.

"Ow! Why you fucking little…"

"Now, now, boys, you know what I've told you about fighting," Him's voice came as he casually filed his claw. Snapping his head at us he growled in a low voice. "Don't do it indoors."

"Yes, Ma'am." Butch and I immediately answered. What? Him was freaking scary.

"Good. Now, why don't you boys run off to your father's house, hmm? I'm missing Bangkok Traffic Love and Li has just taken the initiative to get Loong but Loong has yet to call her back!"

"Right…" Butch trailed off, "We'll be going now."

"Okay, ta-ta boys!" Him called as we flew out if his lair.

It was quiet for a second. I kind of enjoyed it. In a family like mine, well, there isn't a lot of time for quiet. Over the years I attempted to grasp times like this where I could just think, which was when I started leaning C++.

Brick and Butch made fun of me for it for a while. I mean, because here was Butch, quarterback of the football team and all around star athlete, and Brick, Mister-four-point-five GPA and co-captain of the Debate team while I just sat on my computer and fiddle around with html and programs. Not to mention when seventh grade came around my vision started to go, probably from all the computer screens I stared at late at night.

But hey, to each his own. Brick was leading the team as we flew in a tight triangle formation. I suppose we just got this way because of the constant threat of the Powerpuff Girls…not that they ever really bothered us first. Speaking of the Powerpuff Girls, I wonder if Bubbles has an escape. I mean, it has to be just as crazy over there as it is here. We are counterparts after all.

Suddenly something wet hit my face. "Hey, Boomer, stop thinking about your girlfriend Bubbles, we're trying to plot here, okay?" Brick was yelling at me, yet again. Butch snickered in the background, lowering his straw, as I whipped the spit wad off my face.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I exclaimed, "I just think that she'd be interesting to talk to!"

Butch snickered, "Basically he means she'd be interesting to do."

"That's not what I said!" I cried, glaring at my green brother who was flying beside me.

"Yeah, yeah, sure…"

Brick turned his head forward again. "You know, I don't understand this sudden interest in talking with her that you have. They killed us almost two times and yet you seem to think fraternizing with them is a good idea."

"Yeah!" Butch agreed with Brick.

"We got our cootie shots..." I replied pathetically. Come on, brain, think! Think! Brick won't just buy that.

"Luckily or else we wouldn't be here today." Suddenly an idea came to me.

"Well, that's not just it. You know that saying 'keep a friend close, but your enemies closer?'"

Brick narrowed his eyes at me. "Yes…" He trailed off, staring at me suspiciously.

"Well, I'm doing that. Maybe by gaining Bubble's trust she'll tell me what they're up to!" Silence again. Wow. I think that this may possibly be the most silence we've experienced in our lives.

"You know…that's not half bad." Brick said slowly, "Really, we should have been doing this all along. Maybe you're not as dumb as you look."

Startled, I looked at him. "Really?" I asked, my eyes shining with hope.

"Naw, I take it back. You're more stupid than a celery stick, and those things are brainless." Opening my mouth, I drew in breath to produce a comeback to Brick.

"Okay, more pressing matter than Boomer's brain," Butch interrupted before smirking, "or lack there of."

"Hey!" Once again, it is me who falls at the butt of their jokes.

"Seb and Christian. What _the fuck_ is their issue?"

"I am unsure, but could you possibly try to tone down the swearing?"

"Holy fuck, Brick! Could you be _more_ like Blossom?"

"Butch! We're trying to get on their good side! Blossom already thinks I can't control you."

"Get on her good side? We _all_ know you're just trying to get into her pants. And control me? Never. I am a fucking wild beast of sexy prowess."

"And suddenly I don't blame Buttercup. If we're going to do this thing, you need to clean up that mouth."

Butch groaned. "But that's how I get all the ladies!"

"What ladies?" I said, "All I see coming around are Princess' friends, or as they are more commonly called, the School's Bicycles."

"They aren't _that_ bad…" Butch weakly defended.

"They even hit on Boomer." Brick retorted.

"Yeah, they even hit on…wait a minute…" I trailed off, realizing something just wasn't quite right.

* * *

A hand came back and smacked Boomer upside the head. "How the hell did you get so stupid!"

Rubbing his head, Boomer looked down at the scenery passing by. "Hey, isn't that Seb and Christian? What are they doing out here?"

"I don't know…want to go see if they want to play some football?" I proposed.

Brick shrugged, "Yeah sure. I mean, it's not like we were going to do anything else important today." Rapidly zooming towards the ground, my brothers and I pulled up just in time to avoid impact and hovered just behind Seb and Christian just in time to see a bookend fly out one of the bedroom windows.

Expertly dodging it, Seb called up to the window, "Oh, my fair nymph! I see that your arm is still doing as well as ever! Oh, that I might see your arm form that beautiful arc one day!"

"Keep this up and the only form you'll see my arm doing is the arc it will go through when I punch your face in!"

"Why art thou so prickly, fair Tina! Just come to the window for it is the east and you are the sun!"

Stalking to the window, Tina stuck her torso out. "I didn't like Shakespeare in school, what the _fuck_ makes you think I'd like it now? It doesn't even make sense!"

"It got you to come to the window, didn't it?"

Tina let out a frustrated groan. Damn that chick was fine. Even mad she had a little something-something going on. Only way it could get better was if she wasn't best friends with Blubberbutt.

"You are impossible!" She screamed before slamming her window shut.

Looking devastated, Seb called out once more as Tina's back retreated. "But Tina, wait!" Whirling around, Tina marched back to the window and pulled the heavy draperies across her window, obscuring any view into her room.

Chris approached Seb, who cradled his head in his hands. "Better luck next time, man. Better luck next time." Okay, seriously, what the crap was going on here? Last time I check, it was the girls who were stalking Seb, not the other way around.

"Dude, what the fuck was that back there?"

Seb let out a sigh. "I've failed, once again."

Chris patted his arm. "There, there. There's always tomorrow."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Seb trailed off, staring morosely at Tina's dark window. Suddenly a new light flickered on in the open window next to Tina's. I could see Chris visibly perk up.

Gina entered into her room, immersed in a book. Closing her bedroom door with her foot, she walked over to her window seat and sat down, unknown to her the fact that she was currently being watched by three boys. Which is actually kind of kinky, when you think about it.

"Gina!" Chris called out, running to her window.

"Chris?!" Gina called out in surprise, jumping slightly. Unfortunately, this move happened to end with her tossing her book out the window. "Oh, shoot."

"I've got it!" Chris called out running for the book.

Gina blushed heavily, "Oh no! It's okay, really…!" The book in question had landed on its back, the pages flipping open to a spot which looks like it had been read over and over again. I snickered, having caught the title of the book as it fell out the window with my super powers. Stupid girl book.

"So…" Chris began, fiddling with the corners of the novel, "fancy seeing you here!"

"…I live here."

Chris nodded his head violently, "Right, right. You _do _live here. So you uh…want to come down so I can give this to you?"

"Ah, no you can just uh…give it to me tomorrow. It's uh, past my curfew…" Curfew? At 7 o'clock? Really?

"Crap!" Came another voice from inside the bedroom, "Shit, I should have told you!" A head popped out the window and looked down at Boomer, Seb, Brick, Chris and me.

"Tina!"

"You again? I thought I told you to go away!"

"But your beauty was too great and I discovered I couldn't stray from your side!"

"You were never fucking by my side!" Tina yelled. Withdrawing her head inside, she grabbed Gina's shirt and pulled her in too.

"Um, bye, Chris!" Her window slammed shut and the drapes were pulled. Tina…fine, but scary.

"I love you!" Chris called weakly, reaching out toward he window.

"…Dude, you're pathetic." I said, shaking my head. Our group began walking across their lawn

"I don't understand what my problem is…I think I'm really starting to jeopardize my friendship with Gina." Chris stated, walking across the lawn.

"Dude, I totally get you. Like, Tina's this major bitch, and I know that, but whenever I see her I just can't stop myself." Seb replied.

"They're both pretty damn fine, if you ask me." I interjected, thrusting my hips forward. Boomer pulled a face. What? Just because he was going on some trippy girl-power spree doesn't mean I have to.

"Boomer suddenly grew a vagina today." I explained to Seb. Dodging a pair of lasers, I laughed, "His pair just up and disappeared on us."

"Shut up, Butch. At least my counterpart doesn't hate me to the point where she wants to kill me on sight."

"She tries to kill me because she wants me. Bad."

"In what parallel universe does that even make sense?" Opening my mouth to retort, I was suddenly cut off.

"Okay guys," Brick intervened, "really. Stop talking." Bastard. Turning to my blue brother, I fired my lasers at him, hitting him on the ass. Score!

"Freaking A!" Boomer cried, rubbing his ass. Suddenly I was tackled to the ground, some of my hair getting incinerated in a flash of heat. Floating off my body, Boomer hovered a few feet in the air, smirking. I rubbed my hand along my head, feeling some of the burnt tendrils crumble.

* * *

Butch's eyes narrowed. "Someone's going to die." Leaping, Butch smashed Boomer into a tree across the road in a local park. Sighing, I turned to Seb and Chris.

"Sorry, guys, we were going to ask if you wanted to play some football, but it seems that some people," I cleared my throat, looking pointedly at my dim-witted brothers, "can't figure out how to act their age."

"No, it's all cool," Seb said, punching my arm lightly, "I was going to go home anyways and try to figure out what the fuck has happened to me."

"Yeah, I was thinking of doing that too, not that I would have really wanted to play football anyways." Chris added. Nodding, I fist bumped them and turned to deal with my immature brothers.

Looking back to wave goodbye to the pair, I noticed Chris frantically flipping through the book. What the…since when does Chris have an interest in chick books? Dismissing it, I turned to wave at his brother only to realize he was busy muttering to himself, his fingers playing invisible frets in the air. Okay, less weird, but still odd considering their usual behavior. Shaking my head, I returned to the task at hand.

Some time between seventh and eighth grade I had discovered a spot in my brain and, upon investigating it, discovered that aside from making me and my brothers stronger, taller, and more prone to checking out girls, puberty had lefts us each a new power. Locating the section in my brain, I accessed my power and let it wash over Butch. Suddenly his form glowed a bright red. Stepping between the weakened Butch and Boomer, I stopped their stupid little fight.

"Seriously, guys, if you could just act your age just once maybe people wouldn't think so negatively about us. Just look at the damage you two have just caused! Three downed trees and a dented swing set. You are no better than children." I sighed, taking in Butch's apathetic expression and Boomer's look of shame. "Anyways. There's something definitely fishy going on with Seb and Chris…this doesn't sound like normal puppy-love or whatever this shit is."

Frowning, Butch stroked his chin and nodded. I narrowed my eyes at him. What the fuck…? Never mind, I don't want to know.

"You know," Boomer said, rubbing his hand through his tousled hair, "I don't think I've ever seen Chris this obsessed with anything since the Xbox 360 came out."

"There's something fishy going on here and the Puffs definitely know something about it." I thought aloud, "But what…nothing makes sense. All we have is the Puffs showing up at both of our residences, and Blossom and Buttercup being a bit more hostile than normal."

"I don't know about Blossom, but I believe the term is bitchy-ice-queen-with-a-shovel-shoved-up-her…"

"Shut up, Butch." I glared at my disturbing brother. Seriously, does he even have mental blocker? Probably not. "Let's just go home, okay?" I frowned before taking off.

The Puffs…they know something. I don't know what, but they have this air around them. Definitely suspicious. Drop it Brick, just drop it. You don't need any more of a bad reputation than you've already got. It was hard enough finding a place to live with the reputation we had built up from our childhood. It turns out no one wants to rent to the Rowdyruff Boys.

As for the reason why we didn't just room with our "parents" well, just think about it for a second. Let's look at Mojo: insane, evil-genius who tries once every other week to take over Townsville/the world. As a result at least once a week the Observatory would be taken over by the government and cleaned out, leaving us to go live with our "mom".

Now Him is a nice guy, if you get him in the right mood. But he goes through major mood swings. Major as in one second he's coddling you and shoving cookies down your throat and the next he's actually psychologically abusing you. Hence, the apartment.

Landing at our shoddy apartment building, we flung open the door. I tore off my brown leather jacket and flung it on the coat rack.

"Ahh, home sweet home." Boomer said, flopping down on the beat up sofa. Reaching for the remote, he turned on his Xbox and began playing.

"You're going down, Puff-lover!" Scoffing at their childish natures, I checked the time. 7:10.

"Shit." I swore, double checking it.

"Hm?" Boomer grunted, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

Slinging my jacket back on, I exited the apartment. "I have work, so I'll see you later. Butch – cook dinner. Boomer – go to the grocery store and get supplies, okay?" Hearing a general grunt come from the pair, I set off for work.

* * *

Shit I was bored. As far as jobs go, I suppose I could have worse. At least I wasn't taking my clothing off for living. Repairing the odd radio or blender was the least of my problems.

Reaching for a sharpened number two pencil, I carefully aimed, my tongue sticking out, and flung it with all of my human force upward. Come on, come on. Stick! The pencil wobbled from its plaster bedding in the ceiling. Stick dammit!

The bell above the door rang. Fantastic, a customer.

"Welcome to Big Bill's house of repair. How can I help you?" I asked apathetically, not really looking at the customer.

"…Brick? Is that you?" A soprano female voice asked, coming closer to the counter. Shit was that…I looked up and was met with the single person I did _not_ want to see right now. And so my situation deteriorated. I was stuck with my arch nemesis because of a next-to-worthless job as a mechanic creating possibly the most awkward situation of my life.

"Blossom, how have you been?" I inwardly cringed at my politeness, wishing it were still somehow the old days where I could just launch myself over the counter and pick a fight with her.

"Um, good I suppose. And you?"

"Peachy." What the fuck kind of wording was that? I could have said anything and what did I say? Peachy. I fucking said peachy. She's probably thinking 'What a fruitcake that Brick Jojo is.' My thoughts paused for a second before starting up again. Shit. And now I'm calling myself a fruitcake _in my head_. Fantastic. "What can I help you with?"

"Erm, well, my uh…vacuum seems to have developed a, well, clog…" It was then that I noticed the clunky piece of machinery in her hands. Pretty old, maybe from the 1980's.

"That's a dusty vacuum you've got there…" I trailed off, my mind reverting to what Butch would say in this situation. That's what she said.

Blossom gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah, the Professor's pretty old fashioned, you know? Still slicks his hair back and refuses to buy new household technology unless it's broken for good." Setting the vacuum on the counter, she flicked her long red locks back and tucked them behind her left ear. Casting my eyes up on me she asked me to take a look at the vacuum.

Taking off the top of the vacuum, I looked at the exhaust filtration.

"Old fashioned you say? Sounds a lot like Mojo, actually." I commented.

"Mojo? You don't say. Old fashioned, really?" She replied quickly.

"Oh yeah, you know, 'Brick, you should be kind to girls, that is saying, you should be kind to the females.'"

"That's rather forward-thinking of him." She replied. I could hear the pleasure in her voice at hearing someone promoting the cause of women.

"Not really, when you've heard the whole thing.'The reason for this kindess is because they are the mothers, meaning that they will bear your offspring and if you are unkind to the womenfolk then they may take it out on you when they are making your food or cleaning your clothing, that is to say housework, and make your life horrible. So horrible you would not want to live it. So it will be very horrible.'"

"Oh, wow…" Blossom said, stunned into near silence, "that's pretty 1950's of him."

I hummed my agreement, and grabbing a pair of tweezers, began fishing around in the bowels of her ancient machine. "I suppose it's a good thing he had us instead of a group of girls."

Blossom laughed, "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Can you just imagine him with a group of super-powered girls such as yourself?"

She laughed again and, putting her hands on her hips, mocked Mojo. "You girls, yes you the ones flying about the observatory, I command you at once to cease, that is to say stop, this flying about! You are ruining my experiments! My experiments that I am conducting in an experimental atmosphere. An atmosphere that you are disrupting with your girly giggling and make up! You should be in the kitchen!" She gesticulated to her left, "make food and cleaning for that is your place. Your place as women!"

I began laughing hard. Blossom's Mojo impersonation was spot on! "Holy crap! Where did you learn to do that? That was amazing!" I smiled at her, waiting for her answer.

Blushing, Blossom examined her feet. "Well, you know, I've had to fight him so many times…"

Oh right. The smile faded off of my face. This was Blossom Utonium, the leader of the group, which tried numerous times to kill my brothers and me. Clearing my throat, I turned back to the vacuum. Finally catching something firm, I gave it a hard yank. A large clump of fuzz came of out the vacuum and rolled onto the workbench. Wow. That's a lot of uh, hair.

"Well, Blossom, I think I've found your clog." I said, turning around to face her. Oddly, her eyes were transfixed to the clog I dug out. Probably shocked that something that fuzzy and gross came out of it. "Yeah, it was pretty big, but I think you should have no more problems with…" Suddenly, she shot out of the store, her pink streak fading before I had a chance to blink my eyes, "…it?"

My eyes narrowed. Glancing at the clock, I cursed. I still had another two hours on the job and couldn't follow her. Throwing myself back into my seat, I moodily glared at the clock before shooting it off with my lasers. Serves it right. If I was unsure before, I am convinced that the Puffs know something about what happened to Sebastian and Christian, something that they're keeping to themselves.


	13. Chapter 13: Civility

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: CHAPTER 13 IS HERE!

Stphne: DISCLAIMER: PPF/RRB/PROF/MOJO/HIM etc. don't belong to us!

Miyoreos1023: KEEP READING AND REVIEWING!!! XD Oh and the next few chapters will overlap each other! Hope you don't get confused!!

* * *

"So it wasn't Mojo and it wasn't Him," I sighed sinking gracefully down on the couch and scratching off the possible suspects I had written down in my notebook. Buttercup flopped down next to me and with a smooth flick of her wrist, turned on the television.

"I honestly thought it would be Him," Bubbles murmured woefully as she reached down to gently rub Belle, her puppy's, abdomen. Sighing, I looked down at my neat notes and racked my brain for another possible suspect. This is more complicated than I thought it would be.

Flinging the notebook on the coffee table and pulling my hair into a bun, I replayed the events that occurred from the day the Professor's potion was stolen to our time at Him's house. Speaking of which, why did it take Bubbles such a long time to retrieve her cell phone? I turned to see Bubbles humming cheerfully as she worked on a new AP Art sketch. I haven't seen Bubbles this jovial in a long time. What if…but that's impossible, if not illogical! And yet I had to ask her.

"Hey Bubbles? I've been meaning to ask you, but what took you so long at Him's?" I asked. Bubbles blushed and stammered, "Nothing, I just tripped...over Butch's backpack…" At the mention of Butch's name, Buttercup's head snapped up and she glowered.

"Did they make fun of you? Because if they did…" Her voice trailed off threateningly. Bubbles' eyes widened and she vigorously shook her head.

"Oh no! Nothing like that!" She giggled nervously.

"Did something happen when you fell?" I asked and Bubbles blushed even harder, shaking her head no.

"Well than why are you blushing?" asked Buttercup, looking skeptical. Bubbles bit her lip and glanced down at Belle, choosing to remain silent. Buttercup raised her eyebrow. From the look of Bubbles' flustered face, something definitely happened at Him's… I opened my mouth to ask another question when we were interrupted.

"Girls? Is that you?" The professor came out of his lab looking groggy and disoriented. Well I suppose you would look like that if you spent the last couple of days in a lab. Bubbles, looking relieved, bounced up from the floor and gave the Professor a hug.

"Yeah. How's the antidote coming along?" Buttercup asked flicking off the television and turning to see the Professor. He smiled weakly and scratched the stubble on his chin.

"It's not coming along. An antidote for love is not so simple," He responded

"How did you make the love potion in the first place?" I prompted, hoping that maybe he would be able to create an antidote from the original concoction.

"I used a rhyme…" The Professor replied looking skeptical.

"Why don't you go on a walk Professor? That always helps me think," Bubbles chirped sweetly. The Professor smiled down at her fondly and nodded.

"I think I'll do that," He said, "While I'm gone, Buttercup can you start dinner? I'm craving lasagna and I think I'll eat with you girls tonight. Bubbles, you go help Buttercup." He continued. Buttercup sighed and headed toward the kitchen. Bubbles quickly followed. The Professor turned to me.

"Blossom, my vacuum is broken. Can you go get it fixed?" he asked handing me the clunky handheld vacuum. I don't see why he can't get another vacuum. I grasped the ancient piece of machinery and twirled it between my hands.

"Can't you just get a new vacuum?" I asked the Professor

"They don't make handheld vacuums anymore," He sighed and clipping on Belle's leash. I sighed and headed towards the door.

"Bubbles, you go get the ingredients!" I heard Buttercup call

"Okay," Bubbles chirped back as she accelerated toward us. We left the house and watched the Professor aimless wander down the block, muttering old nursery rhymes and occasionally shaking his head.

"Well I'm headed to Big Bill's House of Repair, so I'll see you when I get back?" I asked lifting my feet and turning toward the said repair shop.

"Yup, I'm heading toward Farmer Joe's Supermarket for some zucchinis, pasta sauce, cheese and minced meat," Bubbles scanned the paper in her hand, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the word meat, before flying off.

* * *

"Welcome to Big Bill's house of repair. How can I help you?" A familiar baritone voice floated into my cranium as I slowly opened the door to Big Bill's.

"…Brick? Is that you?" I asked in surprise when I saw my arch nemesis sitting nonchalantly at the counter. What in the world is he doing here? He looked up and gaped, the pencil he was throwing bounced against the cool tiles.

"Blossom, how have you been?" He asked, hurriedly bending down to pick it up and placing it on the edge of the desk.

"Um, good I suppose. And you?" I asked, puzzled with the civility in his tone. I hadn't expected him to be working at a repair store.

"Peachy." I stared at him in surprise. Since when does Brick Jojo use the word peachy to describe how he's feeling? Brick seemed to regret his word choice. He looked down and seemed to be very absorbed with arranging the pencils. I couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"What can I help you with?" He asked looking up.

"Erm, well, my uh…vacuum seems to have developed a, well, clog…" Now it was my turn to be a bit embarrassed. I mean this vacuum must be from the 1980s. I hesitated in handing it to him, but the Professor needed his vacuum.

"That's a dusty vacuum you've got there…" He trailed off.

I gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah, the Professor's pretty old fashioned, you know? Still slicks his hair back and refuses to buy new household technology unless it's broken for good." Setting the vacuum on the counter, I flicked my long red locks back and tucked them behind my left ear. Casting my eyes up on him, I sighed exasperatedly, "Can you fix the vacuum?"

Taking off the top of the vacuum, he looked at the exhaust filtration.

"Old fashioned you say? Sounds a lot like Mojo, actually." He commented, tinkering with the rusty machinery.

"Mojo? You don't say. Old fashioned, really?" I replied quickly, conversation was better than staring at a prehistoric vacuum in silence.

"Oh yeah, you know, 'Brick, you should be kind to girls, that is saying, you should be kind to the females.'" He shrugged.

"That's rather forward-thinking of him." I replied. It was nice to know that there were some people who promoted women.

"Not really, when you've heard the whole thing.'The reason for this kindness is because they are the mothers, meaning that they will bear your offspring and if you are unkind to the womenfolk then they may take it out on you when they are making your food or cleaning your clothing, that is to say housework, and make your life horrible. So horrible you would not want to live it. So it will be very horrible.'" Brick countered.

"Oh, wow…" I murmured, stunned into near silence, "that's pretty 1950's of him." I guess he was all about the whole, "Good wife, Kind mother" ideas that they had in Meiji Japan.

Brick hummed his agreement, and pulled out a pair of tweezers. He started to search the interior of the vacuum with the tweezers as he continued, "I suppose it's a good thing he had us instead of a group of girls."

I laughed, "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Can you just imagine him with a group of super-powered girls such as yourself?" Brick asked with a smile

I laughed again and, putting my hands on my hips, I did my best imitation of Mojo. "You girls, yes you the ones flying about the observatory, I command you at once to cease, that is to say stop, this flying about! You are ruining my experiments! My experiments that I am conducting in an experimental atmosphere. An atmosphere that you are disrupting with your girly giggling and make up! You should be in the kitchen," I gesticulated toward the left, "making food and cleaning for that is your place. Your place as women!"

Brick began laughing hard and I couldn't help but join in. I guess my Mojo impersonation was almost as good as the real thing.

"Holy crap! Where did you learn to do that? That was amazing!" Brick cried smiling at me as his laughter subsided.

I blushed and glanced down at my feet. Brick was being so nice and I hated to remind him that we were enemies. "Well, you know, I've had to fight him so many times…" I shrugged helplessly, my voice trailing off as I caught sight of Brick's expectant face. The smile had faded off of his face. He cleared his throat and looked down at the vacuum, avoiding my eyes. He must have found something, because the muscles in his hand contracted slightly as he grasped the tweezers tightly and gave a quick yank. A large clump of fuzz came of out the vacuum and rolled onto the workbench. That's…well, no wonder the vacuum was broken. It probably had dust particles dating back from the Professor's college years!

"Well, Blossom, I think I've found your clog." He said, turning around to face me, I nodded as I stared at the clump of fuzz. There amid the dust particles, fuzz, and strands of hair, which were slightly gross if I may say so, was a single pink hair. The color was familiar. I continued to stare at the hair as Brick babbled on. The hair was a light shade of pink…but where had I seen it before? My eyes widened and I gasped.

"…think you should have no more problems with…" I had no time to listen to Brick. I flew out of Big Bill's repair shop as fast as I could – I had found a new suspect. I just hope that Brick doesn't get too suspicious.

* * *

Flying over Townsville, I scanned the city for Bubbles. Although it was highly unlikely that she would still be at the grocery store, I was anxious to gather my sisters and inform them of our next suspect.

I heard the high-pitched giggle of my blue sister and, using my super sight, pinpointed her walking down the street with certain blonde boy. I quickly landed next to Bubbles and firmly grasped the crook of her elbow.

"Blossom! Are you done fixing the vacuum?" she asked, her blue eyes widening in surprise. I shot a smile at Boomer and tugged Bubbles' arm.

"We need to go. It's getting late, " I replied calmly ignoring her question.

"But it's only 7…" Bubbles' trailed off as I gave her a swift nudge, hoping that Boomer hadn't caught it. It's difficult to be subtle in front of another equally observant super being. Bubbles glanced at my face confusedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Well Buttercup wants her groceries so that she can make the lasagna," I replied. Bubbles' continued to look confused, but she must have caught the urgency in my voice, because she simply shrugged and turned toward Boomer.

"Well Boomer, I guess I should go!" She said smiling apologetically.

"Oh..uh that's fine…I guess I'll see you?" Boomer responded glancing down at the groceries in his hand.

"Great!" I interjected, yanking Bubbles into the air with me. Bubbles gave Boomer a half-hearted wave and tugged her arm out of my grasp.

"I can fly by myself you know," she mumbled, rubbing her arm.

"Look, I'm sorry I had to tug you away from your new boyfriend, Boomer, but I have a new suspect!" I replied

"He's just a friend!" Bubbles retorted, a blush suffusing her cheeks. As the second part of my apology registered in her mind, her eyes widened and she asked, "Wait…did you say you have a new suspect?" I nodded

"Well?" Bubbles asked, looking eager. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and named our next suspect...


	14. Chapter 14: Have an Issue? Use a Tissue

Stphne: Hey Guys! It's us, again! We finally updated!

Miyoreos1023: Yay!

Stphne: Unfortunately, we also have some bad news.

Miyoreos1023: Yeah, as some of you are aware of, AP tests are coming up. As both Stphne and I are taking these courses, we will be unable to do our weekly updates, hence the lateness of this one.

Stphne: Yeah, so sorry! Please don't kill us!

Miyoreos1023: Anyways, onward to the story!

Stphne: Yep. Remember: the PPG and all affiliated characters don't belong to us. Not even remotely. We don't even own an episode. Not even one.

* * *

"Girls? Is that you?" A figure emerged from downstairs. I turned from facing the TV to glance at my father figure. Holy shit! I turned back to the TV. He looked fucked up! Dark rings encircled his eyes and his normally perfectly-slicked-back hair was tousled badly. Just how long had he been in there anyways? Behind me I could hear Bubbles launch out of her seat and give the Professor a hug.

Feeling the disapproval radiating off of Blossom, I turned around. "Yeah. How's the antidote coming along?" I asked, trying not to look at him. He gave a half-assed smile and scratched his chin. The fuck-knows-how-old stubble resonated in the house.

"It's not coming along. An antidote for love is not so simple." The Professor confessed.

"How did you make the love potion in the first place?" Miss I-know-the-answer-to-all prompted the Professor.

"I used a rhyme…" the Professor sheepishly answered.

"Why don't you go on a walk Professor? That always helps me think," Bubbles suggested soothingly. Beaming at my sweeter sister, he nodded.

"I think I'll do that," He said, "While I'm gone, Buttercup can you start dinner? I'm craving lasagna and I think I'll eat with you girls tonight. Bubbles, you go help Buttercup." He directed. Sighing, I mocked saluted him and headed toward the kitchen. Bubbles quickly followed me.

"Blossom, my vacuum is broken. Can you go get it fixed?" I heard him ask my sister as I left the room. With a sigh, I heard her ask him why he couldn't just get a new one. Shaking my head, I tuned them out.

Okay, lasagna, lasagna…what do I need…? Zooming around the kitchen at superhuman speed, I quickly assessed what I needed. "Bubbles," I called out, grabbing a sheet of paper, "could you go to the store and pick up these ingredients? As usual, the Professor wants a certain kind of food but doesn't have the stuff…"

"Yeah! Sure!" She chirped, taking the list out of my hands. "I'll be back in a flash!" She walked out of the room, humming slightly.

I cracked my fingers and stared at the kitchen, wondering what I could do in the mean time. Rolling my eyes, I sighed as I realized I could legit not do anything on the lasagna as at least one main ingredient was missing from each section. Bubbles' food it is, then.

Stretching, I went into the back yard to harvest some vegetables. The sun was setting. It truly was a beautiful spring day. Purples and reds painted the sky immediately above my head while clouds passed languidly over me. Stalking over to the garden, I searched through the vegetables, picking a head of lettuce as well as a some peppers, onions, and cucumbers. Bubbles, being the environmentalist that she is, refused to support the mega-agricultural companies who used harmful pesticides and fertilizers and decided to grow her own garden.

"Salad? Really, Blubberbutt?" I whirled around, surprised to see Butch laying on his back looking at me. "I took you for more of a meat-and-potatoes person. Though with an ass that big…"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Now, now, is that anyway to treat a guest?"

My eyes narrowed, "It is when the 'guest' is trespassing. Now get the fuck off my property."

Hoisting himself onto his elbows, Butch raised an eyebrow at me. "Still haven't answered my question."

"I am. This is for Bubbles." I growled out, seeing responding to him as the quickest way to get him off of my property.

"That's better." He lay back down on the grass. Groaning, I walked over to him. What will it take to get him to leave?

His eyes were closed, framed by dark lashes. Butch possessed a straight nose, high cheekbones, gently arcing lips, and naturally spiked up hair. Girls at school said he was disgusting to talk to, but he was sculpted everywhere (as in _everywhere_). Butch's arms folded behind his head to prop it up off the ground. Yeah, he was a lady-killer, even I could admit that.

Up until puberty, my sisters and I didn't have normal things that other people had like fingers and noses. Same with the Rowdyruff boys. It turns out that super beings weren't just extreme in their capabilities, but also in bodily functions like puberty. Needless to say my sisters and I weren't the most welcomed people back in middle school. Neither were the Rowdyruff boys, which just contributed to their angst-ridden, angry personalities.

Butch cracked open an eye, "Are you going to sit down, or are just going to stare at me?" His eyebrow raised slightly above his open eye.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your ass, and I mean literally, out of my yard and into the next city?"

"I haven't done anything to you." He paused, thinking, "And your father would hear your cursing and ground you."

Huffing, I sank down in the grass. "I should have kicked your ass earlier today."

"Yeah, you probably should have." He closed his eyes again, feigning sleep. Rolling my eyes, I looked back at the sky, watching the clouds float over head. The setting sun colored them the same color as Blossom's dress. I let out a deep breath, surprisingly content with the moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Startled, I looked over at Butch. His head was turned looking at me curiously.

Blushing, I frowned and sat up, "None of your damn business what I'm thinking!" What was this? A _caring _Butch? "Why the fucks do you care?" I calmed down my flaming cheeks.

Sitting up, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…just kind of popped into my head, no need to freak out."

"Yeah, well maybe next time something pops into your head you should just keep it there." I sneered.

"Maybe there won't be a next time." He sneered back at me.

"I hope there isn't!"

"Good because I wouldn't want to know what the fuck was going on in that twisted, dyke head of yours anyways."

I let out a soft scream of frustration, "Then leave my fucking yard!"

"Like I want to be here?" He stood up.

"You were the one who came here!"

"Yeah because I hear Blossom, your hot sister, changes with her blinds open!"

Narrowing my eyes in frustration, I stalked closer to him. "Oh yeah, going back to the dyke thing." I said sweetly, clasping my hands behind my back, "You've caught me. Tina and I, well, we're not best friends but lovers." I was standing very close to him, so close I had to look up. His mouth had dropped open and a little drool was coming out. "And we were wondering if you'd like to observe Tina and me sometime…" Abruptly I jerked up my knee, hitting him in the crotch.

He fell to the ground, groaning. "Fuck!" He swore, clutching himself.

"You fucking sick piece of shit! If I _ever_ catch you in my yard again I will fucking castrate you!" Grabbing the needed vegetables, I spat next to his body. "Leave now before I decide to beat you into a fucking pulp."

I walked back into the kitchen to rinse the vegetables. Stupid Butch, trying to watch my sister change. Seriously, what the fuck does she have that I don't? I have boobs and a nice ass!

Wait…no. I don't want Butch looking at me. I don't want _anybody _looking at me. I learned my lesson from Ace the hard way. All boys could give was trouble. And, as if I needed further proof, just look at Jaques and Bubbles. Fucking twit.

I roughly dumped the vegetables in the sink and scrubbed them. Salad…just thinking about it made me want to hurl. Fucking rabbit food, that's what Bubbles eats. Throwing the vegetables into the air, I took a knife and began slicing them as they fell onto the board. Okay, I was being unnecessarily rough, but I had a lot of frustration to get out. Reaching for the peppers, I noticed the knife had hit my fingers a few times, causing it to dent.

My nose started twitching and my eyes filled up. No. God dammit, no. I am not going to cry, I am not going to cry, I am not going to – oh fuck it.

Assessing myself, I couldn't help but wonder what the fuck was making me cry. Butch? No, couldn't possibly. Nothing he could ever say would affect me this much. Except…I could feel that feeling, down in the pit of my stomach. Something akin to anger, but it burned so much more. Surprised, I realized it was jealousy.

Jealousy over the attention my sisters receive. It's them who are the beauties, the pretty ones. Guys tell me about them, ask me about them, and use me to get to them. To them I'm just "one of the guys". Someone they can talk to, but actually date? Never. And then the way they go on about Blossom's hair, or Bubble's cuteness. Well, I just never thought it could hurt so much. You can't really blame a girl, can you?

Sighing, I brushed the wetness from my face and arranged Bubble's salad into a bowl finally putting it in the fridge to keep it crisp. Grabbing a box of noodles, I set a pot on to boil. Might as well start boiling the noodles now. I dumped the noodles in and leaned against the counter. Where the fuck was Bubbles? I should have just gotten the damn ingredients myself…suddenly the door flung open.

"Buttercup!" I heard Blossom scream. Rolling my eyes, I languidly made my way to the door connecting the kitchen to the rest of the house.

"I'm right here; god could you _be_ any louder?"

"Well, it's just that I got a clue and I think that I may know who it is! Now, if we hurry, we'll be able to get him in time for –"

"Excuse me? We will be going _nowhere_ tonight. I've already started the lasagna and Bubbles' salad will get all wilty if we leave now. There is no way _in hell_ we are trying to get him tonight."

Glaring, Blossom whirled around to our younger sibling, "Fine. Bubbles and I will go, right?" Bubbles nodded enthusiastically, that is until the Professor stepped in.

"I think you girls have had quite enough gallivanting around this evening."

"But Professor…" Blossom began, her tone turning into a whine, "We're trying to catch a perpetrator!"

"No 'but's! I want you girls to relax this evening. The thief can wait until tomorrow." Sulking, Blossom floated up the stairs and into her room, closing the door with a tight click.

"Okay Professor!" Bubbles cheerily replied. Skipping over to the couch, she lay down and flipped on the TV. Shaking my head, I grabbed the forgotten ingredients and went to prepare the rest of our lasagna.

* * *

"I'm going out for a run, Professor! I'll be back later!" I yelled, grabbing my running shoes and water bottle on my way out to the garage. It was after dinner and I felt stuffed. Turns out I made too much lasagna and, as a result, ate too much. In desperation, I decided to go for a run. Stretching briefly before my jog, I bent over and touched my toes, leaning to my left. Feeling the pull in my legs, I switched to the other side and repeated before taking off from my driveway.

Normally I don't jog outside of school, but I was kind of desperate for exercise, not to mention my recent encounter with Butch. Fucking asshole, who does he think he is, anyways? I jogged harder, almost in a full out run. And to try to peep on my sisters like that…fucking pervert. I should have beaten him harder this afternoon. Grimacing, I switched from running into full out sprinting, flying past house after house until I was out of breath.

It tore at my lungs painfully, but in a good way. The way the air ripped through them was almost like being reborn again. Panting, I felt sweat drip off my brow and onto the pavement below. I tore off the cap to my water bottle, threw my head back, and downed half of it in one gulp.

"Woah, BC," a voice stated from in front of me, "You're looking pretty, uh, sweaty." Shifting my focus, I nearly blushed when I saw Mitch Mitchelson.

"Mitch!" I exclaimed, feeling a little self conscious as I was only wearing a tight green tank top and miniscule shorts, a gift from Bubbles, the fashionable one, and my only clean exercise clothing. I shifted my weigh awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"…This is my house. You should know, you've only been here a million times."

I laughed nervously, "Ha, ha. Yeah. I should, shouldn't I? I guess I didn't realize where I was running."

Mitch looked at me funny. "Yeah, I guess so…" He said, twisting the cap off his opened water and looking around before taking a sip. Suddenly he stopped. "Say I've been meaning to ask you something," He started, turning to me. I nodded in preparation. His eyes locked on mine as I watched his previous look drain away to something else. "Have your eyes always been that green?"

"Ex-Excuse me?" What the fuck was going on, here?

"Your eyes," He positively purred, saddling closer, "They're like the moss at the bottom of a sacred spring. So green and vibrant…" Then it clicked. Shit. The water. He must have refilled his water bottle or something.

"Woah," I said, backing off. "Keep your distance, Mitch." He stopped; his eyes raked over my body as I self consciously crossed my arms over my stomach.

"You should wear that outfit more often. You look good in tight clothing."

Okay what the fuck was going on here? I know he couldn't help it, but none of the others had be _perverts _after drinking it. I opened my mouth to yell at him when suddenly I realized I couldn't. I assessed the situation again. Something warm was covering my mouth. It was soft and cushioned, but kind of wet. And there was something else around my waist…an arm? It felt like an arm, but what was it doing there? Then I realized.

I flung my hand up, hitting Mitch in the side of the head, ripping my own away from him. Bending my head down, I wiped my mouth off. "What the fuck, Mitch?!" I screamed, stalking towards him.

"You were just so beautiful, and hot, and those clothes….I love you, Buttercup." He advanced towards me, arms stretching for a hug. Thinking quickly, I flew into the air, out of his reach. He looked up at me, "Buttercup, what are you doing up there?"

"You…you need help." I stuttered out, shocked beyond all belief. He had been infected by that…thing. Jesus Christ. "I'll be back…some other time." I flew off, ignoring his cries for me to come back.

"Buttercup! Buttercup! Come back, please! I love you!" I did not need this. First Butch actually being nice to me, then Mitch falling in love with me…I do not need this today. I do not need this ever.

It was bad enough back in middle school when I fell in love with him and was stuck in the friend zone for five years, but to have this come up, not even two years after my wanting to be more had finally gone away, is insane. I grimaced as the cool evening wind whipped across my face. Who ever did this is going to pay.

Spotting my house, I slowed down and took deep, even breaths. Calm down, Mitch didn't mean it. Landing at the front door, I walked in.

"Buttercup!" I heard Blossom yell…I should have snuck through the widow. "Buttercup!" Sighing, I floated up the stairs lethargically, entering her room. Blossom sat at her desk, tapping her wooden number two against the white oak furniture. Her bed was made, all five large fluffy pink pillows piled delicately and orderly onto the pink duvet. A white bed curtain skirted the underside of her bed, obscuring the underside from view, not that she would hide anything in there. Her room was pristine. Surgeries could be held in it.

Across from Blossoms bed was a white couch with small sunny pillows "tossed" on it. How she managed to get a couch in her room was unknown, but knowing Blossom she probably saved up for it with her birthday money since she was five. Bubbles lay across it, one of the yellow pillows on her lap and her dog sleeping snugly between her outstretched legs.

"Yo, what's crack-a-lackin' my home-skillets?" Blossom hated it when I talked this way. On cue, Blossom scowled.

"What does that even mean? How many times have I asked you to use proper English. Sometimes I worry about our generation." She fixed me with a withering look before continuing with what she wanted. "Look. We need to discuss options. Today while cleaning the vacuum I noticed that it was not only clogged with gross fuzz and hair, but also with pink fibers and red hair!" She excitedly stated. I looked at her blankly. "You know…what villain or villains have pink fibers or red hair?"

"…Fuzzy Lumpkins and Brick Jojo?" I guessed, totally not amused with this. Honestly, I just want to go to my mother-fucking bed, dive under the fucking covers and never surface for air until this whole damn shitty love-potion bonanza was over.

"Correct!" Blossom cried, excited I had guessed the right people. Whatever. "So tomorrow I was thinking…"

"Look, Bloss," I interrupted. "I know you're excited by this…not that I'm not," I added, noticing her face starting to harden. "And I want to catch this guy to but I've had a…well, I just want to go to bed. So just…tell me in the morning what I'm going to do."

Sometimes people say I'm blind, that I can't read other people's emotions. Well, that's not true. I can. I just am too damn apathetic to care about them. So yes, I knew my sisters were concerned. Buttercup? Wanting to go to bed? This is the girl who stays up until 4 in the morning before a Chemistry final and still tries to fight Blossom off when Blossom straps her to her bed to be quiet so everyone else can get some sleep. But honestly, I just didn't give a flying rat's ass as to their fucking concern for me. They'll probably just excuse my odd behavior for PMS and forget all about it by tomorrow. Everyone else does.


	15. Chapter 15: An Unexpected Encounter

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: WHEEE APS are over! We can finally continue this story!

Stphne: Yeah and so are all our after school activities. We can now focus on finishing this story!

Miyoreos1023: Sorry the update is later than we expected. Prom was last night so I actually woke up at like 2 PM and I had to finish the chapter

Stphne: and then I had to edit it.

Miyoreos1023: So yeah we got a lot going on….We might update a little late this week because well we'll be on a class trip from Saturday to Tuesday…

Stphne: If I write quickly we might be able to get it up on Friday…but we won't promise that!

Miyoreos: PPG and RRB and everything doesn't belong to us! Thanks for being so patient! ENJOY!...*mutters*well I hope you do...I think I may have lost my writing skills thanks to senioritis….

* * *

"Bubbles!" I heard my green sister bellow from the kitchen. Zooming in, I almost ran into her as she started toward the kitchen door, waving a piece of paper full of hasty scribbles. "Can you get me these ingredients?" Buttercup asked shoving the list in my hand.

"Sure! I'll be back in a flash!" I called over my shoulder and headed toward the door. The Professor was just getting up from fixing Belle's leash and Blossom was staring intently at the clunky handheld vacuum while opening the door with her other hand. I hurriedly grabbed two eco bags and headed toward my sister. We all left the house together. I sighed as I watched the Professor wander down the block scratching his stubble and mumbling snatches of nursery rhymes. I wish I could help him, but he had insisted that he needed to figure this out himself.

"Well I'm headed to Big Bill's House of Repair, so I'll see you when I get back?" Blossom asked, waving the clunky machinery in the direction of Big Bill's.

"Yup, I'm heading toward Farmer Joe's Supermarket for some zucchinis, pasta sauce, cheese, and minced meat," I replied, scanning the paper in my hand. Buttercup had such messy handwriting, nothing like Blossom's neat and precise cursive. I wrinkled my nose when I managed to decipher the last word: meat. Meat isn't too bad, but I am a lacto-vegetarian, so it's sad to see that people enjoyed eating those adorable cows or sheep or pigs.

* * *

Walking through the automatic doors at Farmer Joe's, I let the cool air wash over me. Grabbing a grocery cart, I headed straight to the dairy section. I scanned the products until I was distracted by something. Different cartons of eggs stood before me and I stood in awe until I found Organic brown eggs from an animal friendly farm. I tried to convince the Professor to let me raise my own chickens so the meat-eaters in my family could have fresh eggs free from any chemicals, but after Blossom looked up how to care for chickens the Professor put his foot down.

Placing the eggs carefully in my cart, I made my way down the aisle to the cheese section. Again I scanned the vast array of cheeses before placing a pound of mozzarella and a pound of ricotta cheese in my cart. Next I tossed in a can of pasta sauce and, sighing, headed toward the produce section.

"May I have one pound of ground beef?" I asked the butcher sweetly. He grunted and expertly wrapped a large glob of red meat in a greased paper before placing it on the scale. Satisfied, he slapped a sticker on the package and handed it to me.

"Bubbles?" I looked up to see Boomer staring at the package in my hand. Poop! Boomer! And here I am, buying meat! What's he going to think?

"Oh hey Boomer! Are you grocery shopping too?" I asked awkwardly dropping the meat in my cart.

"Yeah I guess so...Is that ground beef? I thought you were vegetarian." Boomer replied, gesturing to my cart.

"Of course I'm vegetarian! Well, lacto-vegetarian but Buttercup needs the beef for her lasagna tonight," I explained. Our eyes met and I quickly glanced down at my shoes. I don't know why, but when I saw Boomer, I got a funny feeling in my tummy. It wasn't that I liked him; it was just that I was…excited to see him. I peeked back up at him and saw that he was running his fingers through his hair as he awkwardly stood a couple of feet away from me. To break the silence, I hurriedly asked, "So what are you here to buy?" Boomer pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his back pocket and scanned it.

"Butch wants chips preferably barbeque flavored, ice cream three tubs each Cherry flavored, blueberry flavored and Rocky road, frozen burritos, pizza and salsa," Boomer recited, before jamming the crumpled letter back in his pocket.

"That doesn't sound really healthy," I responded, wrinkling my nose. I highly doubt the Professor would let us eat reheated frozen burritos or pizza for dinner.

"So?" Boomer retorted

"Well it's just if you keep eating junk food like that, you're going to ruin you're health," I responded carefully. Angering a Rowdy Ruff boy in a public place is not a very good thing to do, especially when you don't have backup.

"We're super villains, we don't NEED healthy foods," Boomer scoffed. My mind briefly flashed back to a memory of Buttercup. When she was younger, she had said the same thing and resorted to eating junk food every chance she got. Of course Blossom and the Professor were horrified, but they couldn't stop Buttercup. In the end, Buttercup had collapsed during an epic battle with Mojo and afterwards, she swore that she would eat healthy foods. Well she did hate the salad, but she made sure to watch what she ate. I sighed and shook my head.

"Well I think I have everything Buttercup needs. What about you?" I asked, swiftly changing the topic and heading toward the cash register. Boomer glanced down at his basket and replied, "Yeah I think I have everything Butch needs as well." I groaned as a caught sight of the line. It wasn't long, but it wasn't exactly short either. I glanced at the clock on the wall, it was only 6:45, I had left the house at around 6, so basically I had only been gone for 45 minutes. Buttercup wouldn't be too upset if I wasn't back in another 15 minutes or so. She was probably in the yard gathering vegetables for my salad.

"Well this could take time," Boomer sighed, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it won't take too long." I countered cheerily. He smiled and shrugged.

"I guess…so what's up with you lately?" He asked, shifting his weight from side to side.

"Oh you know, the usual…why do you ask?" I replied somewhat confused at his sudden interest in my life.

"I just wanted to pass the time," Boomer said with a chuckle. Oh. Well I suppose when you're in line, talking with a friend would help pass the time.

Strangely, his chuckle gave me another funny feeling in my tummy. Taking a breath, I squashed the feeling, thinking it was probably because I was really hungry. I always get a funny feeling in my tummy when I'm hungry. Luckily the line started to move; I pushed my cart forward and scanned the display of candy and magazines. I perked up when I saw the newest issue of my favorite magazine and didn't hesitate to drop it in my cart. I heard that darn chuckle again.

"What?" I asked defensively, as I whirled around to face Boomer. He smiled and shook his head.

"It's just I can't believe you would read those," he replied, stifling his chuckles.

"Hey, it's called a guilty pleasure…I'm sure you have lots of those," I retorted with a smile and lightly punched his arm. He grinned and leaned over me to grab an electronics magazine. Waving it in my face, he said, "Well I guess this would be one of my guilty pleasures," causing me to giggle.

"Would you like plastic or paper Bubbles?" The cashier interrupted, staring at me in awe.

"Oh neither, I have an eco bag." I replied with a smile, swiftly handing her the two eco-friendly bags that I had brought with me. She nodded eagerly and quickly rang up my groceries. It was a grand total of $21.28. Grabbing my wallet out of my back pocket, I handed her the exact change and waited patiently as another person bagged my groceries.

"Would you like plastic or paper sir?" Asked the cashier turning toward Boomer.

"I'll take paper," Boomer replied, reaching into his pocket for some cash. She stared at Boomer for a while before recognizing him as a Rowdy Ruff. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she turned back to me. I smiled and waved at her. Obviously, she found it strange that a Power Puff and Rowdy Ruff were shopping together because she kept staring at Boomer and then at me then back at Boomer before she finally snap her jaw shut and quickly rang up Boomer's groceries.

As soon as Boomer and I exited the grocery store, we both burst into laughter. The cashier's reaction was priceless. I suppose it's because my sisters and I have been archenemies with the Ruffs since kindergarten, and people don't expect us to get along. But we don't really have to fight every time we meet. It's just when the Ruffs are committing a crime. Or, in Butch and Buttercup's case, whenever a controversial statement is made.

"Well that was unexpected." Boomer choked out between laughs. I giggled and nodded. After a while, our laughter subsided. I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye and glanced at Boomer. As he opened his mouth to speak, I saw a pink streak racing toward us out of the peripheral vision and inwardly sighed. I was having such a nice time talking to Boomer, but Blossom was going to be here any second.

"..always do the grocery shopping for your family?" Boomer's question interrupted my thoughts again. Giving my head a shake, I blinked and looked back at him.

"uh..yeah most of the time! Sometimes the Professor does the groceries, but he never gets what Buttercup needs, so she sends me to get the groceries." I answered with another giggle, just as Blossom landed gracefully on the pavement and firmly grasped my arm.

"Blossom! Are you done fixing the vacuum?" I asked, my blue eyes widening in surprise. Blossom shot a patronizing smile at Boomer and tugged my arm. Ouch.

"We need to go. It's getting late," she replied calmly ignoring my question.

"But it's only seven…" I started to reply, but trailed off as she gave me a swift nudge. Double ouch. I glanced at Blossom's face confusedly and she rolled her eyes.

"Well Buttercup wants her groceries so that she can make the lasagna," she replied, her tone impatient. Buttercup was waiting for her ingredients? I was pretty sure that Buttercup wasn't in too much of a hurry to make dinner, but from Blossom's tone, she had something she wanted to tell me. Shrugging my shoulders, I turned toward Boomer.

"Well Boomer, I guess I should go!" I said smiling apologetically.

"Oh...uh that's fine…I guess I'll see you?" Boomer responded glancing down at the groceries in his hand.

"Great!" Blossom interjected, yanking me into the air like I was a rag doll. I gave Boomer a half-hearted wave and then tugged my arm out of Blossom's grasp.

"I can fly by myself you know," I grumbled, rubbing my sore arm.

"Look, I'm sorry I had to tug you away from your new _boyfriend_, but I have a new suspect!" She replied, rolling her eyes

"He's just a friend!" I retorted. I turned away from Blossom to hide my blush. I crossed my arms defensively, her words ringing in my ears. Boomer wasn't my boyfriend. We were just friends…wait a minute. Did she say new suspect? My eyes widened and I turned back to my pink sister, "Wait…did you say you have a new suspect?" I asked. Blossom nodded.

"Well?" I asked. A new suspect would give me something else to think about. I watched Blossom open her mouth to name our new suspect.

"Fuzzy Lumpkins!" She stated, looking smug.

"Fuzzy?" I cried, stumbling to a stop and hovering in midair. I mean Fuzzy was a villain and all, but all he thought about was his banjo and, let's face it. He wasn't exactly the most evil villain. Blossom grabbed my hand and tugged me along, and opening her mouth, she launched into her theory, "I was getting the vacuum cleaned right? Well Brick, I'll explain that later," she interrupted herself, glancing at me sharply when I opened my mouth to ask why Brick was there," said that the vacuum was clogged and so he pulled out an immense hairball from the tubing. I was staring at it, appalled something that gross could come from a family of girls, and I noticed a light pink strand of hair, and I thought to myself. Fuzzy has pink hair, and he has a legitimate reason to use that potion." She said, pausing dramatically.

"Of course! Fuzzy loves Ms. Bellum!" I breathed realization dawning on me. Blossom nodded, and we flew home to tell our green sister about Fuzzy.

* * *

"Buttercup!" Blossom screamed as she flung open the door. I winced and set the groceries down by the door.

"I'm right here; god could you _be_ any louder?" Buttercup replied as she walked through the door connecting our living room with the kitchen.

"Well, it's just that I got a clue and I think that I may know who it is! Now, if we hurry, we'll be able to get him in time for –" Blossom replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Excuse me? We will be going _nowhere_ tonight. I've already started the lasagna and Bubbles' salad will get all wilty if we leave now. There is no way _in hell_ we are trying to get him tonight." Buttercup interrupted, glaring at Blossom.

Glaring, Blossom whirled around to face me, "Fine. Bubbles and I will go, right?" I nodded enthusiastically, that is until the Professor stepped in.

"I think you girls have had quite enough gallivanting around this evening."

"But Professor…" Blossom began, her tone turning into a whine, "We're trying to catch the perpetrator!"

"No 'but's! I want you girls to relax this evening. The thief can wait until tomorrow." Sulking, Blossom floated up the stairs and into her room, closing the door with a tight click.

"Okay Professor!" I cheerily replied. Because let's face it. Although I did want to catch the "perpetrator" as Blossom put it, I was in no mood to go find Fuzzy. Plus my favorite show was on. Skipping over to the couch, I lay down and flipped on the TV. I turned to see Buttercup shaking her head and grabbing the forgotten ingredients before stalking into the kitchen to prepare the rest of our lasagna.


	16. Chapter 16: Fuzzy

Author's Note:

Miyoeros1023: HERE IT iS! THE LONG AWAITED FOR CHAPTER 16!

Stphne: Sorry it took so long!

Miyoreos1023: We don't own anything except the story ideas :]

Stphne: Enjoy and PLEASE R AND R!

Miyoreos1023: XD

* * *

The sharp sound of munching filled the room. "Yo, pass me the cheetos, my chips are gone."

I scowled, pushing the pause button on my controller. "God, at least say please, you pig." Throwing it at Butch's face, I noticed how unearthly quiet the room became. The only noise was a pathetic beeping of a microwave in the Kitchen.

"...Seriously, dude, where _did_ your pair go?" Butch crudely asked, lowering his magazine. Brick stared over in my direction, confused before heading into the kitchen to kill the noise.

Narrowing my eyes, I replied. "What the crap are you talking about?"

"You sounded just like a _chick_ back there." Butch laughed as he threw a handful of chips into his mouth. "So...what's it like having a vagina?"

"Just because I feel the need to actually act like a _decent_ person doesn't mean I'm a chick."

Butch fixed me with a stare, "Boomer, you seemed to have forgotten something: we're not _decent _people." Rolling his eyes, he focused his attention on Brick who was lounging in a chair across the room, a bag of popcorn in hand. "And oh-perfect-and-wise-leader, speaking of not being dencent people, when the fuck can I stop being nice to ol' Blubberbutt and the rest of those Power-slut girls?"

"At this rate? Never. They still don't trust us and, after what Boomer told me, I'm sure now more than ever that those Puffs are up to something." Brick stood up and strode about the room. "I mean, why else would Blossom not only _forget_ her vacuum cleaner that she brought to be fixed as soon as she saw the clog I pulled out, but immediately flew to the super market to drag Bubbles home." Brick spun around a quickly looked at me. "Correct?"

"Uh, yeah. Correct. Bubbles looked kind of annoyed when she saw Blossom heading her way. And then Blossom kept nudging Bubbles and pulling her arm to get her to move..." I paused in my head, remember the moment.

I always knew Bubbles was a fun and interesting girl. She was always in so many after school activites that it is basically impossible to not know who she is. But I never realized that maybe, maybe our prejuidices got in the way of truely understanding and knowing each other. Maybe the Puffs weren't horibble. Maybe it was just the memories of each other showing through into our lives.

I know that my brothers and I have changed. We can pass by stores without wanting to ransack or steal and we always spell our graffiti right now. Briefly I wondered how Bubbles had changed. She still seemed the same, happy, excitable, and over all, well, bubbly.

Sighing, my mind full of thoughts of a blond haired girl, I realized that my brothers had continued the conversation without me.

"Look, I'm just saying that if I have to stay around Butter-Bitch any more, shit might start going down."

Brick's eyes narrowed, "Look, I know this isn't exactly easy for you, hell it's not easy for any of us. None of us like our counterparts. So 'shit' _better_ not go down."

I bit my lip, a protest sitting on the edge of my tongue. Bubbles wasn't bad, in fact, I don't think _any_ of the Powerpuffs were that bad. Taking in a large breath I opened my mouth to speak against my brothers only to be cut off.

"Ha, all of us? I don't know, Boomer seems to be pretty cozy with Bubbles." Butch said with a sneer, "Though I wouldn't mind being with Bubbles. Hell, I wouldn't mind being with Blossom. At least _those_ two are fine. But no, I'm stuck with Blubberbutt, the most annoying of the Annoying Triplets. And she isn't even hot."

Dragging up the courage, I finally opened my mouth, "I don't know, Butch. I think Buttercup is pretty in a...really...athletic way..." Crap, well, that came out awkward.

Butch sneered at me, "Who asked you anyways, pansy-boy? Though if you want to take her be my guest." I stayed quiet. Butch threw a cheeto at my head which I half-heartedly swatted away. "That's what I thought." Then, slouching back in his chair, Butch huffed, "Who the fuck decided to pair up with our counterparts anyways."

I thought about this. No one really said anything, it was simply a mutual understanding. Brick took Blossom, I took Bubbles, and Butch took Buttercup. It had been that way since the beginning. Up until now, it seemed to work out fine for us. Each of us had our strengths: Brick had his intellegance, Butch had his strength and I had...well, I guess you could say I was the comic relief. The same can be said for the Powerpuffs, but with our counterparts instead of us. It just seemed natural for us to pair up and fight those who had the skills most like ours.

But something Butch said really irked me. The whole idea of him being paired up with Bubbles. Something about it creeped me out. It simply wasn't right. Butch was too abrasive, too macho for sweet Bubbles. Sure, she could fight well and occasionally be a better fighter than Buttercup, when her emotions are unstable, but she was too...sweet for him.

"Butch just...deal with it, okay? I'm sure she can be...difficult but if we want to get them off our backs for good we just got to get through this." Brick rubbed his head, "Besides we still don't know what the hell they _think_ we did. So the sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can convince them of our innocence and be left alone like we wanted."

I found myself nodding to Brick's solid words and glanced at Butch. My green brother seemed to be thinking about something, rare for him as he's more of an actions-speak-louder-than-words, but quickly dismissed it as sulking about having to hang out with his green counterpart more. As violent as Butch was, he still retained some of his little kid traits like sulking whenever he was told no.

"I'm going to head in," I heard Brick say, standing up. "You two do whatever the hell you want, but if you get us in trouble I'm going to say you went rouge and disown you." Brick briskly moved out of the room and into his own room, shutting the door behind him.

I glanced at Butch worriedly. He had been teasing me quite a lot recently and it doesn't take a genius to realize an increase in teasing is directly correlated to an increase in painful bruises in the morning. Awkwardly I laughed. "I'm going to hit the hay, too," I said, edging along the wall towards the safe haven of my room. I could see it now, the glowing monitors as I hacked into police records well into the night. "Night!" Almost there...almost there...

I heard a grunt come from the direction of Butch and froze in my tracks. Shit, here it comes. I winced as I heard his voice coming. "Yeah, night. Think I'll go out for a walk or something." Butch sharply rose from his seat, jerking his jacket on and heading towards the door.

"Uh, er, yeah, okay," I said as the door slammed shut. Alone in the living-room-slash-kitchen. Well, this was a first. I glanced at the X-Box. Well, I _have_ been wanting to finish that boss...

Giddily I floated down onto the couch and flipped on the TV and gaming consol. I pressed down on the buttons to rev my chainsaw as zombie after zombie pour into my sight. Sweet virtual reality, here I come.

* * *

The grass made soft crunches underneath my feet. On normal days I would have flown, but when I need to think, I walk.

I heaved out a breath of air as I looked up. Today, today was something else. Running my through my hair, I tried to empty my thoughts. Just don't think, walk. Letting out a frustrated grunt, I flopped down onto the grass.

Blubbercup is...an enigma to say the least. What drives her anyways? I mean, it can't be normal to be that bipolar within a few hours. And yet she is. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm that way too, that maybe people find me as insufferable as I find her. I know she would dance over my mutilated, dismembered corpse yet sometimes I find myself thinking about her. Even I can admit she has a certain spunk about her.

Sighing, I replayed the events of the day. What the fuck was I thinking in the first place? Going, willingly, into the territory of _them_? I must be out of my fucking mind. Really, though, when you think about it, it only makes sense. Why else would I force my company unto Blubberbitch? I don't enjoy hanging out with her. She doesn't enjoy hanging out with me.

And then I asked her that question. _What are you thinking about?_ What the fuck is wrong with me? Fucking tumor. It's the only explanation for that.

Still, she seemingly cares a lot for her sister, if she's willing to go and make special meals for her. It shocked me a little, the fact that she does possess a feminine side. Or at least, a smidgen of girliness.

With a huff, I sat up again. Why am I thinking about this. Stop it, Butch, stop right now. She's a girl. No, she's less than a girl. She's a boy with boobs. A very fine pair of...

"Argh!" I cried, launching to my feet. I moved onto a path and followed it to god knows where. It actually wasn't that late. Just past dinner a bit, but almost to the point of darkness. I exited the path onto a street. Looking both ways, I dashed across.

Typically, I don't come this way. Something about the glow of the lights reminds me of when we were young. Every holiday it would just be us. Mojo was rarely there, and he was always too busy to celebrate holidays anyways. It was always cold and, were it not for my siblings, lonesome. I guess this is why we always have each other's backs.

"Buttercup!" I heard someone yell. Eyes widening, I took a look at my surroundings. Shit! How the fuck did I end up here? I never realized how close the Utonium house was from our apartment. It seemed short when flying, but everything seems short when flying. I dashed into the hedges surrounding the house.

"Yo, what's crack-a-lackin' my home-skillets?" A voice said from somewhere above me. I briefly thought of my options. Option A: Continue my walk as planned. Option B: Fly away as fast as I possibly could to avoid having the Powerpuff Girls discover me here and have to take all three of them on at once, not that I couldn't take all three of them at once. Option C: Spy on them. I smirked. Well, Brick _did_ say he needed more information...

Silently I floated up to the second floor, stopping just when my eyes could look over the window sill. Damn, this girl liked pink and white. Blossom's sisters stood out like a pair of granny-panties at Victoria's Secret. Bubbles sat on a white couch, her fingers playing with the edges and some kind of white fuzz-ball was in between her legs. Butterbitch stood in the doorway, looking bored and expectant.

As if she were cued, the Pink one scowled. "What does that even mean? How many times have I asked you to use proper English. Sometimes I worry about our generation." Buttercup rolled her eyes at her sister and began to look at her nails. You know, maybe we _are_ counterparts for a reason.

"Look. We need to discuss options." Options? I focused a bit harder. "Today while cleaning the vacuum I noticed that it was not only clogged with gross fuzz and hair, but also with pink fibers and red hair!" She excitedly stated. I couldn't help but roll my eyes are her excitement. Apparently the similarity between my brother and her ended there.

"You know…what villain or villains have pink fibers or red hair?" The red-haird girl practically bounced in her seat as she proposed this question. Jesus! Again with the excitement! Ritalin. I swear, she needs ritalin or something.

"…Fuzzy Lumpkins and Brick Jojo?" Came Blubberbutt's voice in return. Brick? _BRICK?_ They find a strand of red hair and they automatically assume _we_ did it? Jesus Christ. We haven't been in their fucking house in the history of the Earth. Trembling in anger, I took a couple of deep breaths. I can't blow my cover now. Well, at least now we know why they keep acting so weird around us. Or stranger than normal.

"Correct!" Blossom cried. Ritalin. I swear the girl needs it. "So tomorrow I was thinking…"

"Look, Bloss," The Fat One interrupted. "I know you're excited by this…" The look on Blossom's face turned into the female version of Brick's I-will-hit-you-in-the-nuts-so-hard-your-doctor-will-never-be-able-to-surgically-reconstruct-them. I silently ooh'ed in my head. "...not that I'm not," Curses filled my head as all my thoughts of a chick-fight fled. "And I want to catch this guy to but I've had a…well, I just want to go to bed. So just…tell me in the morning what I'm going to do."

Wait, what? Bed? I ducked down and leaned against their house. I thought we were supposed to be counterparts. I don't go to bed until _at least_ three in the morning, and from what I heard, she normally doesn't either. I heard a door click, signaling her disappearence.

"Blossom? Do you suppose something's happened to her?" A higher pitched voice came from the couch.

I looked back into the room. "I don't know, Bubbles," she replied, standing up from her desk, "this isn't normal for her." I sensed a frown on her face from the amount of concern in her voice. "But you know Buttercup, she's always so...independent. I'm sure she'll work this out."

"I know, Bloss, I just..." Bubbles trailed off with a sigh before turning to look directly at her sister, "I just wish she'd trust us and come to us with her problems. That's all."

"I know, too, Bubs. I wish she would too." Silence fell over the pair of girls.

"I guess I'll be going to bed too, then." Bubbles said, heading out of Blossom's room.

"Yeah, we've got a busy day tomorrow at Fuzzy's, so I'll do that as well. Night."

"Night!" Blossom turned around, facing the windows as her sister exited the room. Shit! I cut off my flight as I fell down a little bit before turning it back on. That was so close.

Wait. Bed time means pajamas. Pajamas mean not daytime clothing. She's currently _wearing_ daytime clothing and _not_ pajamas. This means she'll have to change. With the blinds open.

A perverted grin came over my face as I slyly floated back up to her window. She was wearing a pink polo with a white shirt under it. Blossom's arms criss-crossed on her stomach as she clutched the bottom of her polo. Pulling up, the shirt came off in one swift motion, pulling some of the white shirt with it as well.

Were it not for my super sight, I probably wouldn't have gotten a glimps of her fine stomach she fixed the shirt so fast. As it was, I got a good look at it. Suddenly I heard a gasp. Freaking out, I dropped down below the window.

"Oh my gosh!" Blossom cried, her voice coming closer. "I almost forgot to close the blinds! Normally I always remember..." A ticking noise was heard as her pink blinds fell into place. Beneath her window, I groaned. I could still just barely see the shadow of her as she took of the remainder of her clothing and threw on her pajamas.

Sulking, I floated away from their house and, once I got far enough away, high-tailed it back to the apartment. I have a feeling Brick would be interested to know about this.

* * *

I rubbed at my eyes, attempting to get the sleep out of them. Butch flew into my room not 10 minutes after I had finally stopped thinking about the situation at hand and managed to fall asleep with "big news", as he said. What the hell could be so important that it couldn't wait until morning?

Butch was floating off the ground, practically vibrating in the air. I haven't seen him this excited since we were little and got our kicks off of beating up the Powerpuff Girls. "So what the hell do you have to tell us, Butch?"

"Just a little something I have a feeling you'd be interested in..." Butch trailed off, a mischievous look in his eyes. He was staring right at me.

"So tell me already, god damnit!" I growled, pounding my fist onto the table in front of me.

"Yeah, seriously, Butch." Boomer echoed his agreement. Underneath the table I could see him fondling his controller. Obviously Butch dragged him away from his video games.

"I...saw..." Butch dramatically started. Boomer leaned forward in his seat, falling right into his ploy. Knowing Butch, he probably just saw road kill or something equally as disgusting or weird. "Blossom's bare stomach. Oh god, it was possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. Perfectly pale skin with just the right glow of healthiness."

"_That_ was it? Jeeze, you pull me away for _this_? I'm going back to my games." Boomer stood up and stalked away.

Unamused, I looked at him in disbelief. "You know, Butch," I spat out, "I'm really happy for you, but the next time you deem something 'important' and it's this I will personally castrate you." Then it hit me.

"Hold up. Just _where_ exactly were you, anyways?" Boomer paused in the doorway.

Butch plopped himself down into a chair, "I thought you said it wasn't 'important'."

"Just fucking tell me!"

Butch glared at me, "Alright, alright! I was a the Utonium house."

My eyes widened. "What the hell were you doing there?"

"Oh you know, chilling, having a good time, spying on the Puffs."

"_What did you learn, Butch_." I growled at him, slamming both hands on the table and leaning in towards him.

"Touchy, Touchy!" He said, waving his hands in front of him, "Chill out. Only that they think that we have done something really illegal. Well, either us or Fuzzy. Which brings me to the third thing."

"What was the first thing?" Boomer interjected, confused.

"Blossom's firm, beautiful stomach, duh you dipshit."

"Butch." I sharply said, "Third thing. Now."

"Jesus, you're always so grouchy...anyways it seems the girls plan to visit Fuzzy tomorrow."

I felt my lips beginning to lift up. "Excellent."

"About me seeing Blossom's body? Yeah...that was pretty excellent."

Scoffing, I turned to face my hornier brother, "No, you lecher, this means we're going to pay a good visit to our friend, Fuzzy." Shaking my head, I turned around.

"Hey, where you going?" Butch called after me.

"To bed, where did you think I was going, imbicile?" I heard Butch making noises behind my back as I returned to my room. Tomorrow was alreadly looking brighter.

* * *

"Boomer, get your ass out of my face!"

"Maybe you should get your face out of my ass!"

"Maybe you two should shut the hell up before they get here!" I hissed at Boomer and Butch. God I can't take them anywhere.

"When are they going to show up?" Butch whined, pushing a tree branch out of his face.

"How should I know? It wasn't like I was stalking them yesterday, unlike you." Butch grumbled and broke the small branch off the tree, dropping it to the ground.

"Remind me, why did we have to hide in a tree again?"

"Because there's so many damn trees out here that they can't possibly check them all out, now shut up."

"That's so stupid, they'll probably-"

"Shhhh!" Boomer said, letting go of some branches, "They're coming!"

Gracefully our three counterparts landed. "Alright, girls, let's split up to find him-"

"GIT OFF MUH PROPERTY!" A loud voice screamed out just before a gun barrel was poked through a little hole.

"Scratch that girls! Fuzzy Lumpkins! You come out of your house right now!" Blossom commanded.

"No! How's about you'ins git off muh lawn!" A click was heard from the gun.

"Mr. Lumpkins, could you please come out of your house? We just want to talk with you. Thank you!" Bubble's sweetly asked. The girl positively beamed, sure her request was going to work. A mistake, if you ask me. No body ever follows a person with a command vocabulary with 'please' and 'thank you' in it.

"NO!" Fuzzy screamed again, knocking Bubbles over.

"Alright, you asked for it," Blossom said, "do it, Buttercup!"

With a clap, Fuzzy's house fell down around him. "What in tarnation?" Fuzzy exclaimed, attempting to rise from the pile. The girls gasped.

"F-Fuzzy!" Blossom exclaimed, "You're, you're _naked_."

Fuzzy scowled and adjusted his overalls. "I ain't nekkid! I just ain't got no fur!" Suddenly Blossom's eyes narrowed.

"You shaved it off so that we wouldn't think you did it but, ha! We know you did it and that you shaved your hair off so that we would think you didn't!"

"What're you'ins talkin' 'bout now?"

"You know what this is called, Fuzzy?"

"What?" Fuzzy asked, scratching his head.

"Hiding the evidence! You shaved yourself-"

"I AIN'T EVER SHAVED NO PART O' MUH BODY!" Fuzzy screamed, heaving deep breaths.

"You...haven't?"

"No! It were them dang Rowdyruff boys sneakin' in in th' middle o' th' night and savin' all of me beautiful fur off!" A tear streaked down his face, "Not that you'ins care at all, what with yer destroyin' muh house!"

"Whatever, how are we supposed to know what you're saying is the truth?"

"Why would I shave muh own hair off? Now Ms. Bellum will never love me!"

The girls looked at each other, confused. "Ms. Bellum?"

"Muh one true love, save for Joe here."

"Joe?" The girls chorused.

"Yeah, muh banjo, Joe!" Fuzzy pulled out his banjo and played a few chords. I rolled my eyes. This was just getting pathetic.

"Come on, guys, let's go help Fuzzy."

"Help Fuzzy? How many times do I have to tell you, _we are not good people_."

"Yes. I am aware of this, _Butch_, but at the same time we can probably clear our name."

"Well why the fuck didn't you say so sooner?"

We floated down into the clearing, catching the attention of our counter parts.

"The Rowdyruff boys! What are you doing here?" They cried in unison.

"Jesus! Can you stop speaking all at the same time? You're giving me a migraine." I drawled, rubbing my head.

"Hey there, hot stuff." Butch said, wiggling his eyebrows at Blossom and licking his lips. Her face twisted into one of disgust. I snickered softly.

"Anyways, why don't you pick on someone your own species." I called out.

"Because Fuzzy's guilty!"

"No I ain't!" Fuzzy called from the midst of his demolished house.

"The how else do you explain your lack of fuzz?" Blossom shot back.

"Because we _shaved_ him. And they call you the smart one." I said, crossing my arms. Whipping back around she glared at me.

"Are you _confirming_ his story?" She asked in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah, it was freaking hilarious doing it!" Butch loudly said.

"Yeah, freaking hilarious." Boomer echoed. The two high fived behind me.

"Then _you_ must of have done it!" She said, suddenly whirling on us.

"We must have? What must we have done?" I slyly asked.

"Put the potion in the water supply!" Blossom yelled before slapping her hands over her mouth.

Boomer made a face. "Potion? What are they talking about?"

"Like I fucking know." Butch said back.

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Don't play innocent with us."

"We're not playing!" Boomer cried, oddly glancing over at Bubbles who seemed torn over something.

"Then why did we find a strand of red hair in the professor's lab? Huh?" Blossom said with a glare at me. Ah, Blossom seems to have recovered.

"Right," Butch sneered, "Because it couldn't _possibly_ be _your own fucking hair_. It's not like you _live_ and that it's _your_ vacuum, or anything." For once in his life, Butch makes a solid point.

"Well," I began, cutting off whatever Blossom was about to reply with, "this was lovely and all, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this tête-à-tête short. We have moss to supervise." We rose into the air.

"Oh and Blossom?" Butch said, raising an eyebrow at the girl, "You should leave your blinds open more often!" With a wink, my brothers and I flew off, leaving some stunned girls in our paths.


	17. Chapter 17: An Opportunity

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: We don't own PPG/RRB/Fuzzy Lumpkins/The Professor

Stphne: Sorry it took a long time, we're getting back on track

Miyoreos1023: read and review please!

Chapter 17: An Opportunity

As soon as my eyes opened, I quickly glanced at my pink alarm clock sitting on my bedside table. The neon green numbers glimmered seven-thirty. Perfect. Bubbles should have breakfast ready by nine-thirty, giving me exactly two hours to get dressed, make my bed, wake Buttercup, and meditate. Yawning, I flung my pink comforter off and padded into my bathroom.

After pulling my hair expertly into a ponytail, I reached for the tube of face wash sitting on the shelf by the sink while simultaneously turning on the faucet. I quickly splashed my face with cold water before expertly squeezing out a dime-sized drop of face wash and lathering it smoothly across my face. Washing the suds off my face, I padded my face dry and slipped my red hair tie out of my hair. Quickly I brushed my hair and teeth, and returned to my room to change my clothes and to make my bed. I glanced at my clock. Seven-fifty.

I pulled the cotton candy pink sheets across my bed with a practiced hand. Satisfied that there were no wrinkles, I threw the comforter over the bed with a flick of my carpal bones, the complex of eight bones at the proximal segment of my hand. After plumping my pillows and arranging them precisely, I headed down to do the next thing on my list; wake Buttercup.

Slipping silently out of my room, I floated down the hallway to the lime green door. A quick glance into Bubble's somewhat immaculate room and the muted sounds coming from the kitchen confirmed that my younger sister was already awake and getting breakfast ready. Steeling myself for a possible inhuman outburst, I knocked gently on Buttercup's door.

"Breakfast is in approximately an hour, thirty seven minutes, and twenty one seconds Buttercup, so you better be up by then." I urgently whispered. There was silence. Sighing, I knocked a little harder, but to no avail.

"I'll be back in exactly thirty minutes!" I huffed before returning to my room. Stalking over to my window, I quickly yanked the blinds open. It was so like Buttercup to try and ruin my plans for the day. Buttery sunlight poured into my room, warming my skin. I sat cross-legged in the pool of light, a smile gracing my lips as I straightened my back and emptied my mind of all thought. Focusing on the sensation of my breaths entering through my nose and into my nasal cavity.

The purpose of meditation is to make one's mind calm and peaceful. By training in meditation, one is able to create an inner space and clarity that helps to control one's mind. It was through mediation that I found my new power to control and subdue my more aggressive sister. Wait, I'm supposed to be focusing on my breathing, not the purpose of meditation. Shaking my head irritably, I briefly frowned at my distracted thoughts. Come on Blossom, focus on your breathing. In and out, in and out…Ahhh that's more like it. I smiled peacefully.

My inner peace was shattered precisely fifteen minutes and thirty-five seconds later, by the incessant barking of Bubble's toy poodle. I groaned. I suppose that since I obviously can't have the peace and quiet to properly meditate, I could get started on my homework. Snapping my eyes open, briskly walked over to my desk. I quickly pulled out my planner and scanned my homework list. Deciding to get Calculus BC out of my mind, I pulled out my homework and started to immerse myself in the use of parametric equations. We were going over how one would be able to use a time parameter to determine the position, velocity and other information about a body in motion.

One by one I solved each question fluidly and without hitch. I glanced at the next problem. If dy over dx equaled 2 xy squared and y equaled two when x equaled negative two, then y is? Then the answer was two e parentheses two-thirds times x squared over e parentheses negative sixteen over 3. Simple. Flipping the sheet over I found that it was blank. Well that was an easy assignment.

Carefully placing my neatly finished calculus homework back in my bag, I stretched and glanced at the clock. Nine twenty-five. The faint smell of French toast wafted from under my door and, as if on cue, my stomach began to growl quietly. I quickly exited my room and made my way back down to Buttercup's door.

"Buttercup, get up!" I called, knocking loudly on the door. I sighed heavily when there was no answer. No doubt, my sister plugged her ears. Knowing that Buttercup slept with her door locked, I firmly grasped the knob and rattled it loudly only to find that the door opened the minute I turned the knob. Startled, I pushed the door gently open and peered into Buttercup's room. Pushing the door open even wider, I stepped into her room and glanced around me, her room was messy, as per usual, but Buttercup was no where to be found. A slight breeze caused the ends of my hair to gently tickle my arms; surprised, I whirled around to find it wide open. I felt a twinge of panic as I quickly spun around and scanned the room once more.

There was still no sign of Buttercup. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to think, logically, of where my sister may be, but visions of Buttercup being kidnapped in her sleep, beaten, alone in a deserted alley in the middle of who knows where kept crowding into my head. Okay those weren't logical, I shook my head, but the more I tried to quell my panic, the more it grew. Snapping my eyes open, I rushed out of Buttercup's room to warn Bubbles of her disappearance.

"Bubbles!" I cried, bursting into the kitchen full speed. Bubbles looked up wide-eyed and questioning.

"What's wrong Blossom?" She asked, "Did something happen? Did you find another clue?"

"Buttercup is missing! I believe she may have been kidnapped or worse!" I replied, pacing across the linoleum. Bubbles' spatula froze in midair and the slice of French toast slid to the floor.

"Are you absolutely, positively sure?" Bubbles asked, panic welling in her eyes.

"No, her room is empty and the window is WIDE open! It must have been the Rowdy Ruff Boys…I KNEW they were up to…"

"Relax, I'm right here Pinky," interrupted my supposedly missing sister. I whirled around to see Buttercup saunter in through the side door.

"And where have you been this entire morning? Do you have ANY idea how worried I was?" I asked glaring at her.

"I was out for a run and now I'm going to shower," Buttercup replied calmly before heading up the stairs.

"Oh and Bubbles? The French toast smells like it's burning," She added. Sure enough, the acrid smell of burnt toast permeated the kitchen.

"Well at least she's safe," chirped Bubbles and turning her attention back to the French toast. Scrunching her nose, she gingerly lifted one off the surface of the pan. "Poop, she's right. They're all burnt on one side," she sighed, scraping them into the food disposer and laying fresh slices in the pan.

Ten minutes later, Bubbles had four plates of French toast ready. She placed the one of the four plates on a tray along with a glass of milk, a steaming mug of coffee, and a small bowl of fruit. Balancing the tray with one hand and a carrying a fork with her other, she set off to deliver the Professor his breakfast. I grabbed the pink plate and started to eat.

"Pass me the syrup," muttered Buttercup as she reappeared in the kitchen, her hair still damp from her shower. Passing her the syrup, I watched as she doused her breakfast in the sugary substance. When Bubbles returned from the lab, I finished my breakfast, wiped my mouth daintily on a napkin and stood up.

"Although Fuzzy will not appreciate us entering his territory, we need to interrogate him because he might be the perpetrator. I want to leave at ten, so we can get to Fuzzy's at around ten thirty on the dot. Be ready. Bubbles, don't be late," I ordered.

"Blossom I just started eating!" Bubbles pleaded, looking up at me with her puppy dog eyes and gesturing helplessly at her untouched plate. I sighed. She knows I can never resist her puppy dog look. I actually don't think there is anyone in Townsville that can resist that look except of course the Rowdy Ruff Boys.

"Just eat fast," responded Buttercup, wolfing down the last of her French toast and depositing her plate noisily into the dishwasher. Bubbles sighed mournfully and began to eat at lightning speed. By the time I returned to my room, which took a mere twenty-seven seconds, I heard the sound of a plate clinking against another and the quiet slam of the dishwasher.

* * *

Gracefully we landed in the little clearing that served as 'Fuzzy's Territory' with a small log cabin located in the center. "Alright, girls, let's split up to find him-"

"GIT OFF MUH PROPERTY!" A loud voice screamed out just before a gun barrel was poked through a little hole aimed right at us.

"Scratch that girls! Fuzzy Lumpkins! You come out of your house right now!" I commanded.

"No! How's about you'ins git off muh lawn!" A click was heard from the gun.

"Mr. Lumpkins, could you please come out of your house? We just want to talk with you. Thank you!" Bubble's sweetly asked. Sometimes Bubbles' smile could work miracles. I tried to smile sweetly as well.

"NO!" Fuzzy screamed again, knocking Bubbles over. Okay scratch that.

"Alright, you asked for it," I growled, "do it, Buttercup!"

With a clap, Fuzzy's house fell down around him. "What in tarnation?" Fuzzy exclaimed, attempting to rise from the pile. We gasped.

"F-Fuzzy!" I exclaimed, "You're, you're _naked_."

Fuzzy scowled and adjusted his overalls. "I ain't nekkid! I just ain't got no fur!" Suddenly I knew what he was up to and my eyes narrowed.

"You shaved it off so that we wouldn't think you did it but, ha! We know you did it and that you shaved your hair off so that we would think you didn't!"

"What're you'ins talkin' 'bout now?"

"You know what this is called, Fuzzy?"

"What?" Fuzzy asked, scratching his head.

"Hiding the evidence! You shaved yourself-"

"I AIN'T EVER SHAVED NO PART O' MUH BODY!" Fuzzy screamed, heaving deep breaths.

"You...haven't?"

"No! It were them dang Rowdyruff boys sneakin' in in th' middle o' th' night and savin' all of me beautiful fur off!" A tear streaked down his face, "Not that you'ins care at all, what with yer destroyin' muh house!"

"Whatever, how are we supposed to know what you're saying is the truth?"

"Why would I shave muh own hair off? Now Ms. Bellum will never love me!"

I glanced first at Bubbles then Buttercup, confused before turning back to Fuzzy. "Ms. Bellum?"

"Muh one true love, save for Joe here."

"Joe?" We asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, muh banjo, Joe!" Fuzzy pulled out his banjo and played a few chords. Of course, how could we forget Joe? I vaguely remember Fuzzy going on a wild rampage because a squirrel or something landed on Joe.

"Come on, guys, let's go help Fuzzy." Wait a second, my eyes perked up as I heard an unpleasantly familiar voice.

"Help Fuzzy? How many times do I have to tell you, _we are not good people_." Please let this be my imagination, I pleaded within my brain.

"Yes. I am aware of this, _Butch_, but at the same time we can probably clear our name."

"Well why the fuck didn't you say so sooner?"

I groaned aloud.

"Girls we got company," I muttered under my breath, turning to see Bubbles glance around nervously and Buttercup's eyes narrowed dangerously as the Rowdy Ruff Boys floated down into the clearing.

"The Rowdyruff boys! What are you doing here?" We asked, crossing our arms.

"Jesus! Can you stop speaking all at the same time? You're giving me a migraine." Brick drawled, rubbing his head in an idiotic gesture.

"Hey there, hot stuff." Butch said, wiggling his eyebrows at me and licking his lips. I felt my face twist into one of disgust and Brick snickered softly.

"Anyways, why don't you pick on someone your own species." Brick called out.

"Because Fuzzy's guilty!" I retorted.

"No I ain't!" Fuzzy called from the midst of his demolished house.

"The how else do you explain your lack of fuzz?" I shot back.

"Because we _shaved_ him. And they call you the smart one." Brick said, crossing his arms. Whipping back around I glared at him and his insult.

"Are you _confirming_ his story?" I asked in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah, it was freaking hilarious doing it!" Butch loudly said.

"Yeah, freaking hilarious." Boomer echoed. The two high fived behind Brick. Ugh that idiotic twosome. Wait a second..if THEY shaved fuzzy, then that left one suspect. Brick.

"Then _you_ must of have done it!" I said, suddenly whirling on them.

"We must have? What must we have done?" Brick slyly asked.

"Put the potion in the water supply!" I yelled before slapping my hands over my mouth. Drat. Cringing I turned toward my sibling. Bubbles stared at me wide-eyed and Buttercup glared.

Boomer made a face. "Potion? What are they talking about?"

"Like I fucking know." Butch said back.

Buttercup rolled her eyes, turning her attention to our counterparts, "Don't play innocent with us."

"We're not playing!" Boomer cried, oddly glancing over at Bubbles who seemed torn over something.

"Then why did we find a strand of red hair in the professor's lab? Huh?" I said with a glare at Brick, overcoming the shock of my unintelligent mistake.

"Right," Butch sneered, "Because it couldn't _possibly_ be _your own fucking hair_. It's not like you _live_ there and that it's _your_ vacuum, or anything." For once in his life, Butch made a logical point. But I haven't been in the lab since…oh…But the hair was too short to be mine! Millions of excuses ran through my head and I opened my mouth to retort.

"Well," Brick began, cutting off what I was about to reply with, "this was lovely and all, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this tête-à-tête short. We have moss to supervise." They rose into the air.

"Oh and Blossom?" Butch said, raising an eyebrow at me, "You should leave your blinds open more often!" With a wink, he flew off with his brothers.

"What…oh…What is that boy talking about?" I stuttered, blushing a deep scarlet. I KNEW I would regret not shutting my blinds. But…I just took off my….My eyes widened as I remembered the events of last night. He was by my window?

"That fucktard did NOT just say that," Buttercup growled menacingly, getting ready to leap after that insolent and perverted Ruff.

"Oh gross," squeaked Bubbles, "That means he must have been at our house last night, which means he must have heard our discussion, which explains why the Ruffs are here!" She concluded, seeming to have regained her speech.

"That fucking peeping tom! That perverted little jackass, that…that..FUCKTARD!" Bellowed Buttercup, punching the nearest tree and toppling it over.

"Girls relax. I think we should head home," I replied oddly calm. I rose in the air in a state of shock.

"See you Mr. Lumpkins, I'm sorry we ruined your morning!" called Bubbles' over her shoulder, rising as well.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU'INS GONNA DO ABOUT MUH HOUSE?" Fuzzy bellowed, waving his fist at us. Oh right…we had demolished his house and he wasn't even guilty. I sighed, "C'mon girls let's head back and help Fuzzy." I called lowering myself back on the ground.

* * *

"Fuzzy sure is picky when it comes to building his house," remarked Bubbles as she floated into the living room and landed with an ungraceful thump on the couch. We spent the rest of the day, approximately six hours, forty-five minutes and six seconds rebuilding Fuzzy's house and enduring his bossy commands.

"I don't even know why we helped him," groaned Buttercup, rubbing her arms and sinking into the armchair.

"Because we broke his house and he did nothing wrong." I replied, sinking down into the plush carpet.

"You do have to admit though…Fuzzy did look kind of funny naked and shouting orders," Bubbles said, giggling. We quickly joined in.

"I still can't believe I let slip that the water in Townsville is contaminated with that potion!" I cried smacking my forehead.

"Well I guess little-miss-perfect ain't so perfect after all," Buttercup smirked before frowning, "Though, thanks to your little slip up, the boys are sure to sneak around for more information." She continued, shooting a glare at me.

"Hey! To be honest, I didn't mean to. And if Butch hadn't been spying, they wouldn't have been there in the first place." I retorted defensively. That seemed to anger Buttercup even more as her glare turned even more menacing.

"That fucking peeping tom," she growled, balling her hands into tight fists, green sparks dancing along her knuckles.

"Careful, Buttercup. Don't scorch the chair," Bubbles warned.

"I'll make sure the blinds are closed every time I change. I don't know why I almost forgot last night. I realized the moment I pulled off my pink polo," I mused, "I had on a white tank top under it!" I added hurriedly as Buttercup's and Bubbles' eyes widened both with horror.

"Are you girls finally back?" I sighed with relief as the Professor walked into the living room and unintentionally saved me from my awkward predicament.

"Yeah, the perpetrator is no longer Fuzzy," chirped Bubbles,

"Yeah, I guess it was pretty funny." I said, laughing freely.

"One could very well say that Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?" Buttercup added in, an eyebrow cocked. We all laughed again.

"On a more serious note, the Rowdy Ruffs were also at Fuzzy's, but they were in the trees." I added, watching Buttercup's smile fade into a scowl.

Oh, but Professor! You haven't heard the best part of our day!" Buttercup began sarcastically, "The Rowdy Ruffs Boys seem to know what's going on because of a _certain _red head who _accidentally _let it slip that Townsville's water supply just happens to be contaminated with a potion!" she finished, glaring daggers at me.

"Now, now Buttercup. There's no need to be harsh on your sister for a simple mistake," the Professor replied, trying to soothe my green sister. I threw him a grateful look.

"As a matter of fact, now that the Rowdy Ruff Boys know about the potion, it might be a great idea for you girls to work with them. They may give you a fresh perspective." He concluded. We all gaped back at him.

"You have GOT to be kidding me." Buttercup finally broke the silence.

"I don't see what's wrong with that," The professor responded defensively.

"Professor, they are villains and they were constructed specifically to kill us." I countered. I glanced at Bubbles, hoping that she would remind the professor of the countless times we fought with the Rowdy Ruff Boys and the countless times they made her cry. Bubbles stayed silent, but her eyes pleaded to me. Ugh, Bubbles KNOWS I can't resist that look. Why does she want us to join the Rowdy Ruff Boys anyway? Boomer may be her friend, but Buttercup can't stand the sight of Butch and they always end up fighting and Brick is insufferable.

I glanced back at Buttercup. Her gaze was murderous and her fists were emitting green sparks that were larger and more violent. I glanced back at Bubbles, her hands clasped behind her back, lips sealed, but her big blue eyes were both hopeful and pleading. I finally stared at the Professor.

"The Rowdy Ruff Boys are villains," I repeated weakly, "they would NEVER work with us and plus they despise us," I added, biting down on my lip.

The truth was, working with the Rowdy Ruff Boys had its pros and cons. Of course the cons consisted of the fact that Buttercup loathed the very thought of Butch. The second was, gosh I'm sounding redundant but, the boys were villains through and through, and they were never up to any good. The third was…

"When was the last time the Rowdy Ruff Boys committed a crime?" The Professor softly asked, interrupting my thoughts. I sighed, but Bubbles beat me to it.

"We haven't fought them for doing evil since we were eight." She chirped, before glancing down at her feet and avoiding Buttercup's death glare.

"So basically they haven't been evil since the age of eight?" asked the Professor, folding his arms across his chest and raising one eyebrow.

"Girls, I think you need to get over these petty issues. The Rowdy Ruffs are your counterparts, meaning that they equal you in your strengths. If you include them in your mission to find the culprit, you'll have double the brains and double the brawns!" He continued positively beaming.

Well the Professor DID have a point and since the Rowdy Ruffs were villains, they could get information that we couldn't get. I mean I'm sure another villain would trust a Rowdy Ruff more than they would trust my sisters or myself.

"Okay Professor," I finally consented, "we'll ask the Ruffs to help us tomorrow morning."

"WHAT?" Buttercup exploded, glaring daggers at me.

"Sounds…great!" Bubbles timidly chirped, throwing Buttercup a nervous glance and edging toward the Professor.

"I can't BELIEVE you just fucking said that!" Buttercup howled.

"Buttercup, please watch your language," the Professor calmly replied stepping in front of her, "and I think it's time you got dinner started." He continued.

"But Professor, I can't stand Butch! You of ALL people should know that Blossom!" Buttercup cried crossing her arms across her chest and glaring out the window.

"Buttercup. This matter is now closed," The Professor said, tapping his foot impatiently, "Dinner, now please." He commanded, pointing toward the door. Buttercup stomped across the room, cursing under her breath and slamming the kitchen door.

The Professor sighed ad sunk onto the couch, "I'm glad you girls are doing this. You're always gallivanting around Townsville after one villain or another. I can't help but worry," He said, smiling thankfully up at me.

Bubbles smiled and patted him reassuringly, but we all couldn't help glancing worriedly at the door, from which muffled curses, bangs, and slams were emitted.

"Buttercup's anger aside, I think this will be fun," the ever-optimistic Bubbles added with a cheery smile.


	18. Chapter 18: The Offer

Author's note:

Miyoreos1023: Sorry it's late

Stphne: DISCLAIMER: WE OWN NOTHING!

Miyoreos1023: Enjoy, R and R, good-bye!

* * *

Chapter 18: The offer

Tossing, I rolled over and looked at the clock. Six-fourteen. Fuckin' ass! I rolled over onto my other side. I could see the sun rising behind my heavy curtains; it's rays peeking through the slight openings. Slamming my fists down on the bed, I flipped onto my back and grunted.

What was wrong with me? I barely slept the night before. And for what? All I could think about was last night. I clenched my sheets in my fist. He kissed me. Mitch kissed me. I should have told him about the water. I should have realized he had just drunk some of it. I should have...

Ugh, what's the use? No amount of shoulda, coulda, woulda would cause me to be able to go back in time. I flipped my legs over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing my head fiercely. I slid my hand down the side of my face, stopping my hand at my chin and resting my elbow on my knee. Sighing, I glanced up, my sight landing on my sneakers. I smirked, stood up, and stretched. A run was just what I needed.

Throwing on a loose tank top and some basketball shorts, I put what little hair I had in a short ponytail and secured it with a black hair tie before placing my running shoes on.

Biting my lip, I glanced at the door. Bubbles wouldn't be awake for another hour at least and Blossom wouldn't wake up for another hour and fifteen minutes minimum. If I went out by the front door Blossom or someone would wake up and, well, to be honest I didn't really want to see them right now.

Looking away from the door, I was assaulted by a beam of stray light. Light. Window. That's it! Dashing over to my window, I pushed aside my curtain. Bright light streamed into my room. I threw open the window and hopped over the wall and hovered in the air outside. My room overlooked the back yard, so I didn't have to worry about the professor coming upstairs and seeing me. Glancing around, I slowly floated down to the ground, checking to make sure no one heard me. I touched down gently, having disturbed no one. Smirking I walked around to the front and ran off down the road.

* * *

Gasping, I jogged the last few feet up to the door on the side of the house. The door led directly into the kitchen, which, according to the time, should be about breakfast time. Spying my pink sister through the door, I turned the knob and pushed the well-oiled door open.

"...her room is empty and the window is WIDE open! It must have been the Rowdy Ruff Boys…I KNEW they were up to…" I heard Blossom exclaim.

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. "Relax. I'm right here, Pinky." I walked around my elder sister.

"Where have you been this entire morning? Do you have ANY idea how worried I was?" She glared daggers into me as I walked away.

"I was out for a run and now I'm going to take a shower." Striding away, I began to climb the stairs to the bathroom. "Oh and Bubbles? The French Toast smells like it's burning." I continued up the stairs, the hurried noises of Bubbles trying to save her food filled the air.

"Well at least she's safe." I heard her say before she exclaimed something about breakfast.

Closing the door, I turned the shower on. Today was Sunday. I let the water run over me as I thought. Tomorrow. I had to see Mitch. Shit. Grabbing my soap, I roughly scrubbed on my skin, turning it bright red. What was I going to do? I washed my face with about the same roughness as previously before flinging the washcloth away. Turning the water off, I felt the droplets drip down my face.

Mitch was my best friend. He was always there for me. I fell for him hard back in middle school. But he never knew. And now, now this potion comes and _now_ he is in love with me. I smiled painfully. Life's such a bitch.

I grabbed the towel and rubbed my face dry before doing the same with the rest of my body. Wrapping the towel around body, I stepped out of the shower. I glanced at the steam-covered mirror, which obscured my view of myself. Wiping the steam off the mirror, I towel dried my hair with another towel before brushing it. I lightly tousled it simply because it looked too, well, neat.

Throwing open the door, I stalked into my room, closing the door a little loudly before throwing on some clothing. I ran down the stairs just in time to see Bubbles enter the basement with the Professor's breakfast.

Slumping into my chair at the table, I scooted the green plate closer to myself. Normally it's my duty to make meals but it seems I can never get up in time for breakfast, so Bubbles, who's naturally up this early, volunteered to do it.

Glancing up at my sister, I realized a distinct lack of something. Or actually a distinct lack of chatter. Blossom actually hadn't noticed I was back. "Pass me the syrup." I muttered, trying to get her attention. She did so and watched critically as I dumped the substance on. Bubbles came back just as Blossom was finishing up her meal.

"Although Fuzzy will not appreciate us entering his territory, we need to interrogate him because he might be the perpetrator." Typical Blossom. Always wanting to do things immediately. I glanced at Bubbles who had just sat down to eat Breakfast. "I want to leave home at ten so we can get to Fuzzy's by ten-thirty on the dot. Be ready. Bubbles, don't be late."

Looking at Bubbles I saw her gaze forlornly at her food. "Blossom I just started eating!" A puppy-dog look accompanied this cry as I looked at Blossom. I saw her stare undulating between letting Bubbles' look and sticking to her routine.

Scoffing in my head, I responded to Bubbles. "Just eat fast." I shoved the rest of my breakfast in my mouth and headed off to drop my dishes off in the washer and then to brush my teeth. In regards to Mitch, all I could hope was that we figured this out soon.

* * *

"Fuzzy sure is picky when it comes to building his house." Bubbles stated, flopping down onto the sofa. We were all tired from spending pretty much all day rebuilding something that came down in three-seconds max. Although we would have been done a lot earlier if he hadn't been so picky.

"I don't know why we even helped him." I commented grudgingly, rubbing my arms and sinking down into a nearby armchair. It was him who wouldn't come out of his house in the first place. And I had to do all the heavy lifting, me being the strongest of us. I would hold up a wall while Blossom and Bubbles nailed it in.

"Because he did nothing wrong." Blossom reminded me, sinking onto the ground, just as exhausted as Bubbles and I were.

"You have to admit though...Fuzzy did look kind of funny naked and shouting order," said Bubbles, giggling.

"Yeah," Blossom said, "I guess it was pretty funny." She laughed out loud, shaking her head.

"One could very well say that Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?" I added slyly, watching my sister laugh harder before joining in.

Suddenly Blossom stopped laughing as she remembered something. "I still can't believe I let slip that the water in Townsville is contaminated with that potion!" She said with a groan.

That's right. "I guess Little-Miss-Perfect ain't so perfect after all." I said, with a smirk before something serious hit me. Frowning, I continued on, "Though, thanks to your little slip up, the boys are sure to sneak around for more information."

The idea of Butch lurking about disgusted me. I glared at Blossom, angry at her for causing me yet more problems. As if Mitch wasn't enough to fill my plate, now I have to deal with my counterpart.

"Hey! To be honest, I didn't mean to. And if Butch hadn't been spying, they wouldn't have been there in the first place." She replied defensively.

Butch. "That fucking peeping-Tom." I growled, clenching my fist. I felt small sparks leaping between my knuckles, my anger was so great. Did I _not_ warn him about this exact thing?

"Careful, Buttercup. Don't scorch the chair," warned Bubbles. I sighed, relaxing my fist. Bubbles was right. I didn't need to get so worked up now. Although, next time I see that pervert...I smiled evilly to myself. Oh, boy, was he ever in trouble now.

Blossom, seeing my evil grin, must have gotten the wrong idea as she hurridly began talking after Bubbles. "I'll make sure to close the blinds everytime I change now. I don't know why I almost forgot last night. I realized it the moment I pulled off my pink polo," she rambled. I widened my eyes. Exactly how much _did_ Butch see? How much more did I have to beat this boy? I already planned to beat him to within an inch of his life just for spying! Seeing Bubbles' and my reaction, Blossom hurried to assure us of her intact-innocence. "I had a white tank top underneath it!"

"Are you girls finally back?" I saw Blossom visibly sigh with relief at the appearance of our guardian. I rolled my eyes at her. What a prude. Uncomfortable because god-forbid! a boy saw your tank top.

"Yeah, the perpetrator is no longer Fuzzy!" Bubbles said happily, filling the Professor in on what went down.

"Oh, but Professor! You haven't heard the best part of our day!" I began in a false happy tone, "The Rowdy Ruffs Boys seem to know what's going on because of a certain red head who accidentally let it slip that Townsville's water supply just happens to be contaminated with a potion!" Rolling my eyes, I settled back in my chair, glaring at said red head.

"Now, now Buttercup. There's no need to be harsh on your sister for a simple mistake." Blossom threw the Professor a thankful glance as I looked away from her, scoffing. She never lets _me_ forget it if I so much as deviate from the plan. "As a matter of fact," the Professor continued on, "now that the Rowdy Ruff Boys know about the potion, it might be a great idea for you girls to work with them." I stared at the Professor in horror. "They may give you a fresh perspective."

I stared, now opened mouthed at him and his suggestion. Them? Giving us 'perspective'? Never. We are the Power puff Girls. _We_ give _them_ 'perspective', especially in an area as male-dominated as heroism. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." I yelled, enraged that he thought they could help.

The Professor crossed his arms defensively. "I don't see what's wrong with that."

"Professor, they are villains and were constructed specifically to kill us." Blossom replied. Finally. Someone enters in on my side. I'll admit, I was a little shocked Blossom was against this as well. Normally she was all for whatever ideas the Professor had.

Smirking, I saw Blossom look at Bubbles before her face fell. Whirling, I looked at Bubbles as she gave Blossom a puppy-dog look. Shit. She's going to ruin it for us all!

Sometimes I think Bubbles is a little selfish. I mean, can't she see that both of her sisters, whom she's supposed to love dearly, are against this? Yet she sits there and gives us these looks that Blossom and I can't resist, asking us to work _willingly _with these boys whose sole goal in life, at least at one point in time, was our collective death.

Clenching my fists, I felt the sparks which danced between my knuckles return with a vengeance.

I felt Blossom look between Bubbles and me. "The Rowdy ruff Boys are villains." Blossom said weakly, "They would _never_ work with us and plus they despise us." Shit. Shit. Shitty shit shit. Blossom was wavering.

"When was the last time the Rowdy ruffs committed a crime?" The Professor spoke to Blossom, softly, all-knowingly. He knew better than to appeal to me. Very rarely was my mind changed. He appealed to Blossom's logic. Blossom readied herself to answer but was beat to it by Bubbles.

"We haven't fought them for doing evil since we were eight!" Bubbles said, annoyingly happy. I whirled around and glared at her. Traitor. And _naturally_ she just _had _to add in the "for doing evil", calling me out. Everything I did. Every fight I got into with any of them, were for my sisters. And she calls me out for it. Traitor.

"So basically they haven't been evil since the age of eight?" The Professor stated, arms crossed and eyebrow cocked. He was belittling us, making us feel guilty for being so hostile. "Girls, I think you need to get over these petty issues. The Rowdy ruffs are your counterparts, meaning the equal you in your strengths. If you include them in your mission to find the culprit, you'll have double the brains and double the brawn."

I scoffed, noticing how he only mentioned two things: brains and brawn. I had the brawn and Blossom had the brains, and what did Bubbles have? Nothing. She was the cute one. She brought the 'feelings'. I shot a glare at my blue sister. I could live without feelings. I turned my glare back on the Professor.

And him. He doesn't even know what we went through. What it felt like to actually feel like we were going to die. He doesn't know jack-shit about being a hero, yet he feels like he has the _right,_ the _experience,_ to judge us? News-flash _Professor_, those _non-evil_ boys you're talking about? Yeah they almost killed us. Twice. No five-year-old should have to deal with that, yet he just casually forgets it.

"Okay Professor," Blossom consented, "we'll ask the Ruffs to help us tomorrow morning."

"What?" I yelled out, whipping my head around to stare, no glare, at Blossom. No. How _could _she? She shouldn't have. She know what we - no, what _I_ - go through with them. How could she? She's just like them. She's just like those traitors.

"Sounds...great!" Bubbles said timidly as I glared at her next.

"I can't _believe_ you just fucking said that!" I cried, my mind going numb with rage.

"Buttercup, please watch your language." The Professor, ever calm, stepped between my blue sister and me. "And I think it's time you got dinner started."

"But Professor," I pleaded, "I can't _stand_ Butch!" Turning, I appealed to Blossom. "You of all people should know this, Blossom!" I was met with a sad, guilty look. I looked past her, glaring at the window.

"Buttercup." The Professor said firmly, "This matter is closed." His foot was tapping impatiently on the floor. "Dinner, now please." He pointed at the door that led to the kitchen. I glared at the man. The man who raised me since I was five. The man who was my father figure. The man who was ordering me around like a slave.

Stomping towards the kitchen, I swore under my breath, trying to keep the furious tears in. I slammed the door behind me and pulled a chair roughly out from underneath the table. Sinking down into it, I took several deep breaths, surveying the room.

Food. The man wants food. Striding across the room, I opened the freezer and pulled a box out. I smirked. He never said it had to be delicious.

Ripping the box open, I pulled out a slightly defrosted cheese pizza. Turning the oven to the lowest it would go, I popped it in the oven and set the timer to go off at the correct time before vaporizing the box. Ha. Try and cook it now.

I walked briskly past the rest of my "family." "I'm going out for a walk. Not hungry. Eat without me." With that I walked out the door into the world. Smirking, I hoped they enjoyed their frosty meal.

* * *

I glared at the beat up door in front of me. I turned to Blossom. "You _sure_ we have to do this? Like, _positive_? 100%?"

Blossom sighed for the umpteenth time and rubbed her head. "Yes. I am 100% positive that we have to do this."

I paused, letting it sink in. "How 'bout 105%?"

Blossom whirled on me. "Look, Buttercup, I understand you don't want to do this. Neither of us want to either. But we're just going to have to suck it up and work with them. Plus, this way we can keep them under our watch." I glared at her. Says the girl who actually _willingly_ agreed to this insanity.

I knew that Blossom didn't want to do this, but I couldn't help but whine about it. It wasn't fair of the Professor to make us do this. He knew that we don't get along, especially right now when they were acting so damn creepy.

"Ladies," A deep voice practically purred. Traveling out of my thoughts, I was affronted by the last person I wanted to see. Well, second to last.

I scowled. "Bitch," I acknowledged before looking elsewhere behind him. He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his shirtless torso, water dripping from his hair and down his well defined chest and abs. Apparently he had just gotten out of a shower and forgot what a towel was, let alone a shirt.

His blue brother stood behind him, trying to secretly wave to Bubbles. Raising my eyebrow, I looked over at Bubbles who was blushing and trying to secretly wave back. Well maybe Blossom was wrong about _all_ of us not being happy about our current situation. I mean, Bubbles seemed to be pretty chummy with Boomer. I glowered internally.

"So, what can my sexy, irresistible self do for you women and...uh, man." Butch asked, looking specifically at me.

Scowling further, I glared at him. "Just get your other damn brother."

"Touchy, touchy. Someone woke up on the wrong type of rag today." Butch pulled away from the side of the door as I growled underneath my breath, giving him a glare that would probably wither certain types of plants. "Brick!" He screamed back into the recesses of their house. Blossom fixed him with a looked. "What? I'm not going to go get him, no matter how much you show me." Butch looked my sister up and down before winking.

"Stop looking at her, pervert."

"Jealous, Blubberblutt? You should know you've got a special place in my heart." Butch clutched his chest where his heart was.

"Wouldn't that imply you actually had one?" I snarled.

"Buttercup!" Blossom sharply said, "No matter what someone does to you, to imply that they don't have a heart is inexcusable," I glared at Butch as he nodded to Blossom's words. "Even if they are complete pigs." Blossom finished, crossing her arms.

"Ugh! Curves! You wound me!" Butch pretend staggered around. Suddenly a hand appeared and slapped him upside the head.

"Shut up, stupid." Brick sidled around from behind the door, standing on the other side of it while Boomer stood behind them. "What do you want?" Brick asked rudely, "Here to accuse us of yet another crime we _didn't_ commit?"

Blossom rolled her eyes. "Look," she began, "I know you don't want to talk to us and we certainly don't want to talk to you," Brick scoffed and looked away from Blossom, "But due to...certain events which happened yesterday, us girls want to offer you something."

Butch's face twisted into disgust. "Look, if it's Butterbutt's virginity, not interested." Butch turned to leave, only to run into Boomer.

"Listen to what they have to say, Butch." Boomer warned.

"Or what, Boom-Boom? You and your little girlfriend going to drag me back?"

"No, I will." I growled, stepping forward.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Butch mock-cried before getting hit again. Hard.

"Jesus, shut up, Butch!" Brick commanded as I snickered and Butch rubbed his arm, muttering 'ow' underneath his breath. Their red-haired leader turned to Blossom and stared her down. "I repeat, what do you want?"

"Well, since you know about whole incident," Blossom started.

"You mean about you failing to protect a potion which is now contaminating the town's water supplies?" Brick stated coolly. You know, I kind of like his style. Smirking I looked at Blossom who blushed a little bit and ground her teeth.

"Yes. That incident." Blossom continued, "Anyways, we were wondering..."

"You." I inturrupted, "_You_ were wondering. I have nothing to do with this."

Blossom glared at me. "_Bubbles and I_ were wondering if...if..." Blossom swallowed. I took a horrid pleasure in watching her being unable to say the words.

Bubbles looked at Blossom with understanding eyes and completed her sentence. "We were wondering if you would like to help with our investigation." Bubbles smiled cutely, positively beaming at the Rowdyruffs.

It was dead silent. And I mean dead. Not even a car was moving in any area around here. No birds were happily chirping. No gunshots could be heard, despite the decrepit area they made their home. I looked around for even a fucking tumbleweed. Nothing.

"Sure!" Came a voice from inside their lair.

Butch and Brick wheeled around to face Boomer. "What?" They cried in together. Ha ha, bitches, who's speaking in unison now!

Wait, what? I processed what just happened in my mind. Boomer said yes. I glared at him. Those Blues...they're conspiring against us all.

"Dude, what are you saying?" Butch said, wide-eyed. "They're _the Puffs_. We _do __**not**_ work together. Ever."

"Well, they're not so bad."

"What did you not fucking understand about _the Puffs_, Boomer?"

Boomer sighed, looking at my siblings and me. "Excuse us a moment," He said, pulling his brothers inside.

The door shut with a loud bang. Bubbles beamed at us, "Well, this is going better than expected!" She chirped. I looked at her, unamused, before looking elsewhere. I felt her internal sigh at my refusal to talk with them. I was still pissed about this whole thing, especially at her willingness to talk to her counterpart.

At least I wasn't the only one, if Butch's reaction was anything to go by. Brick too, though initially Blossom was against it, she eventually changed her mind and I couldn't help but feel Brick would follow the same pattern. I sighed, leaning against the rusted rail outside of their apartment, waiting for them to come back out.

Finally the door opened again, revealing the boys in the same position as before. Don't they get tired of the same old thing? Brick looked grimly at his brothers, one of whom, Boomer, nodded encouragingly. "Okay, we'll do it." Son of a bitch! I ran my fingers through my hair, annoyed.

"Oh." Blossom said, blinking rapidly, "Okay, then. I guess we'll see you today after school, our house."

"Oh, no can do, Curves," Butch began.

"Blossom, I can't do that." I stated at the same time as Butch, moving from my leaning position. We looked at each other awkwardly. "Practice?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Butch replied, his own eyebrow raising.

"Good. It's settled. You and Buttercup can come over after your practice. It's only an hour right?" I grumbled in response.

"Aw, Curves, I didn't know you cared enough to memorize how long my practices."

"She didn't dip-wad," I spat, "your practice is the same as mine." My sisters and I turned to leave.

"So _that's _why there's all those lovely ladies prancing about all the time. I thought it was just a celebration of my manliness." Butch boasted.

I rolled my eyes. "More like your fruitiness." I muttered. Hearing a snicker behind me, I turned to see Boomer laughing into his hand while Butch glared at him. I was puzzled. It wasn't that funny.

"It wasn't that funny, Boomer."

"Bro, she just called you _gay_." He laughed louder. I smiled slightly. Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"That's because she's projecting her gayness onto me." Scratch that. Turning around, I punched Butch in the face, focusing all my anger and frustrations into one solid hit.

"Stop fucking calling me gay! If anyone's 'projecting' here, you are." Sighing, I turned back around and moved followed my sisters home to pick up the car.

"Dude, she's got you pegged." Brick laughed, slapping his brother on the back while Boomer laughed at his expense in the background. I smiled again.

Okay, maybe it's just Butch. I took off in the air towards home.

* * *

I slumped onto the bench in the locker room, Tina slumping next to me.

"I am absolutely _drained_." Tina sighed out, reaching forward to spin her lock half-heartedly.

"Dude," I replied, "me too. You know what Miss Perfect and her sidekick Sunshine had me do today?"

"No, what?"

"Ask the Rowdyruff Boys to help with our investigation."

"What?" She cried, surprised, "Don't you guys all hate each other?"

I sighed, half-way dressed. "That's what I thought. But Bubbles, well, it seems she likes Boomer." Tina's eyes widened in shock. "No, no. Not that way, but like, she likes to talk to him or some kind of shit like that. She explained it to me, or tried to. I was a little pissed when I found out about it."

"I can imagine." Slipping my shirt on, I started working on my shoes.

"Anyways, so now we're working with them. I have to take him to my house after practice."

"There is no amount of words that could express how much I pity you." Tina said, locking her locker up. "Speaking of pity, is there anything wrong between you and Mitch?" I frowned. I knew this would happen eventually. I hadn't told anyone, not even Tina, about what happened in middle school let alone what happened yesterday.

I looked up at her before fiddling with the laces on my shoes. "Why do you ask that?"

"Well, it just seems like you're avoiding him and he's been asking about you like crazy."

I took a deep breath. "He kissed me last night." I muttered the last sentence, ashamed of it.

"He did? Buttercup! That's fantastic! I always knew you two would be so cute together!" Tina cried, grabbing my shoulder. Sometimes I really hated that Tina could be such a...a, well, _girl_.

"No. It's not like that." I said, running my hands through my sweat-damp hair. "He drank the water. It's all my fault he's so fucked up today. God, I should have told him."

"Buttercup, it's not your fault. It was just a case of wrong place wrong time. And I get you about avoiding him. Being around people who are...well, let's just say under the influence, is difficult. They're always touching you, wanting to be with you, I understand." Smiling, I realized she could understand. Probably the best out of everyone here.

"Thanks for that, Tina."

"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow, Buttercup!" I waved back to her, locking my locker up.

"Tina! My physically-active metaphorical goddess of my heart!" I heard coming from the direction of the door.

"What the fuck!" I heard the distinct voice of Tina say, "Did you _wait_ for me outside of here?"

"I would wait until the end of the world for you!"

"Argh! Get off of me!" I heard a loud slap before someone stomped off.

"Tina!" Walking towards the door, I saw the poor boy on the ground.

"Hey," I said, walking up to the dejected boy on the ground. "Don't worry about her. She just takes a while to warm up to you."

He looked up at me. "Really?"

"Really. And she only slaps the people she likes." I winked at him, causing Sebastian to smile to himself.

"Thanks."

"Woah, Seb, I knew you were desperate and all, but going after Buttercup? Low man, that's just low."

"Shut up, Bitch." I growled, immediately switching into hostile mode.

"Butch, seriously," Seb said, standing up, "stop being an ass. You wonder why she's so mean to you? Maybe because you act like such a douche to her." Shaking his head, he wondered off towards the parking lot.

"What's wrong with him?" Butch said, dismissing his friend.

I sighed loudly, looking him in the eye. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's just get this over with." Butch said, walking towards the edge of the school property. Seeing as my sisters had taken the car home, I followed Butch to the edge of the property. Looking at me, he spoke, "Lead the way, señor."

Rolling my eyes I turned to look at him, hovering just slightly in the air. "Señorita. I'm a fucking girl." With that I took off, full speed, hoping it was just slightly too fast for him to follow.


	19. Chapter 19: Late

Author's note:

Miyoreos: It's DONE! It's DONE!...well the chapter is….

Stphne: Whatever…DISCLAIMER: Nothing and I mean NOTHING belongs to us….except Chris and Gina

Miyoreos: The APES question is found at:

.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/envsci/envir_sci_frq_

Stphne: Now read and enjoy and REVIEW!

* * *

Chapter 19: Late

The door slammed as Buttercup angrily left the house. I hated when Buttercup got upset, and the truth was, she was angry with me. If it weren't for me, Blossom wouldn't have changed her mind. Although I was happy to be possibly working with Boomer, my mind couldn't get rid of the Professor's supposedly convincing words. Brains and brawn. Nothing else. Of course Blossom had the brains and Buttercup had the brawns, but what did I have? I glanced sadly at the Professor. I guess I was just the "cute one." I was smarter than the average teenager, but compared to Blossom, I wasn't. I'm strong too, but weak compared to Buttercup.

The Professor, Blossom, and I walked silently into the kitchen. After Blossom had agreed with the Professor, Buttercup had "prepared" dinner and left for a walk. For once, the Blossom had nothing to say and the Professor didn't even attempt conversation.

Normally, this kind of silence was welcome; it let me think, but right now? It was heavy and full of tension. There was no distracting conversation that would keep me from hearing the Professor's words. Double the brains and double the brawn. My mind flashed back thirteen years. I was the weak link. I felt my eyes narrow, just because I'm not as smart, not as strong. Just because I'm only good with languages and animals. The oven beeped, disrupting the painful memories and signaling that whatever Buttercup had prepared was ready.

"Well," I said forcing some cheer into my voice, trying to break the silence, "at least Buttercup didn't break anything." I opened the oven door and pulled out the pizza. Plunking it down in the center of the table, we all noticed that it was still half-frozen. Blossom sighed and glanced around for the pizza box. Unfortunately, Buttercup seemed to have vaporized it. Okay, so maybe Buttercup didn't break anything, but she made sure dinner was very un-enjoyable.

"I guess we kind of deserve this…" Blossom mumbled, slumping back into her seat.

"At least we don't have to worry about it getting cold?" I asked timidly, the corner of the Professor's mouth twitched upward and Blossom fixed me with a look. Guiltily, I began to cut the pizza and pass out the plates.

Maybe if Blossom had said no to the Professor, Buttercup wouldn't have gotten upset. Who am I kidding? Of course Buttercup would have been in a better mood in Blossom hadn't said yes. Buttercup hated the Rowdy Ruffs with a passion. And Blossom said yes because I gave her that look. I didn't mean to give it to Blossom. I just thought it would have been nice to work with our counterparts. Boomer and I are getting along fine, so why shouldn't they? Blossom and Brick were too stubborn and Buttercup and Butch hated each other's guts.

I sighed and glanced down at my pizza, I could still see the frost coating the unmelted cheese. I looked up to see the Professor simply staring at his pizza slice and Blossom still wore a guilty, sad look on her face.

Cold cheese pizza. Not my idea of a yummy dinner. Maybe I could heat it up a bit, but maybe I should eat it cold. Blossom was right; we did kind of deserve it. Buttercup hated the Ruffs so much, that she scowled just thinking about them. I'm sure she'd rather eat a cockroach than work with them. I shuddered involuntarily as I thought of the time when I had to eat a cockroach. Although it did taste like chicken-flavored tofu…My stomach rumbled. I could use some chicken-flavored tofu, but all I got was half-defrosted pizza. Picking up the cold slice, I gamely lifted it to my lips and took a bite. Chewing half-heartedly, I glanced around the table and saw the Professor and Blossom doing the same thing.

* * *

"You _sure_ we have to do this? Like, _positive_? 100%?" Buttercup asked, after glaring hatefully at the beat-up door.

Blossom sighed for the umpteenth time and rubbed her head. "Yes. I am 100% positive that we have to do this."

Buttercup paused before asking, "How 'bout 105%?" I groaned. Sometimes, I wanted to hit Buttercup for her stubbornness.

Blossom whirled on her. "Look, Buttercup, I understand you don't want to do this. Neither of us want to either. But we're just going to have to suck it up and work with them. Plus, this way we can keep them under our watch." I nodded along and knocked on the door.

"Ladies," A deep voice answered, as the door creaked open. I averted my eyes. Butch was casually leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed. Apparently, he had just taken a shower. Buttercup scowled and replied, "Bitch," before turning her head away from the Ruffs. I peeked back toward the door and my eyes caught Boomer's. He smiled and gave me a little wave. I blushed and waved subtly back, snatching my hand behind my back when I noticed Buttercup stiffen ever so slightly.

"So, what can my sexy, irresistible self do for you women and...uh, man." Butch asked, looking specifically at Buttercup.

Buttercup scowled even more, her fist clenching tightly, "Just get your other damn brother." She hissed. I winced at her language. This was supposed to be a friendly offer. An emphasis on the friendly.

"Touchy, touchy. Someone woke up on the wrong type of rag today." Butch pulled away from the side of the door as she growled underneath her breath, giving him a glare that could probably kill a normal person. "Brick!" He screamed back into the recesses of their house. I winced again. I knew I had a pretty shrill scream, but Butch was pretty loud. Blossom fixed him with a look. "What? I'm not going to go get him, no matter how much you show me." Butch looked my sister up and down before winking.

"Stop looking at her, pervert." Buttercup glared, tiny green sparks flitting between her knuckles.

"Jealous, Blubberblutt? You should know you've got a special place in my heart." Butch clutched his chest where his heart was.

"Wouldn't that imply you actually had one?" Buttercup snarled. That was harsh.

"Buttercup!" Blossom sharply said, "No matter what someone does to you, to imply that they don't have a heart is inexcusable," Buttercup continued to glare at Butch as he nodded to Blossom's words. "Even if they are complete pigs." Blossom finished, crossing her arms. I nodded my agreement.

"Ugh! Curves! You wound me!" Butch pretend staggered around. Suddenly a hand appeared and slapped him upside the head. Curves? I rolled my eyes when I realized that meant Blossom. Butch and his weird pet names…

"Shut up, stupid." Brick sidled around from behind the door, standing on the other side of it while Boomer stood behind them. "What do you want?" Brick asked rudely, "Here to accuse us of yet another crime we _didn't_ commit?"

Blossom rolled her eyes. "Look," she began, "I know you don't want to talk to us and we certainly don't want to talk to you," Brick scoffed and looked away from Blossom, "But due to...certain events which happened yesterday, us girls want to offer you something."

Butch's face twisted into disgust. "Look, if it's Butterbutt's virginity, not interested." Is that all Butch thought about? Butch turned to leave, only to run into Boomer.

"Listen to what they have to say, Butch." Boomer warned.

"Or what, Boom-Boom? You and your little girlfriend going to drag me back?" I frowned. The patronizing tone in Butch's comment hit me hard. It was just like the Professor's when, thirteen years ago, he refused to up the monster level during my training session.

"No, I will." Buttercup growled, stepping forward. I sighed. Buttercup always let her fists do the talking.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Butch mock-cried before getting hit again. Hard. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Jesus, shut up, Butch!" Brick commanded as Buttercup snickered and Butch rubbed his arm, muttering 'ow' underneath his breath. Brick turned to Blossom and stared her down. "I repeat, what do you want?"

"Well, since you know about whole incident," Blossom started.

"You mean about you failing to protect a potion which is now contaminating the town's water supplies?" Brick stated coolly. Blossom blushed a little bit and ground her teeth. Okay, Brick didn't have to rub it in her face.

"Yes. That incident." Blossom continued, "Anyways, we were wondering..."

"You." Buttercup interrupted, "_You_ were wondering. I have nothing to do with this."

Blossom glared at her. "_Bubbles and I_ were wondering if...if..." Blossom swallowed. I looked at Blossom with understanding eyes and completed her sentence She despised this, she never was one to ask for help. Being the brainy one, she never expected to ask for help, she was always the one that gave help.

"We were wondering if you would like to help with our investigation." I said with a smile. But inside I scowled. I always did the negotiating.

There was silence. I groaned inwardly. I hated awkward silences like these.

"Sure!" Came a voice from inside their lair.

Butch and Brick wheeled around to face Boomer. "What?" They cried in together. My smile widened, at least SOMEONE agreed with me.

"Dude, what are you saying?" Butch said, wide-eyed. "They're _the Puffs_. We _do __**not**_ work together. Ever." I stared at Butch. I mean we were right here, we can still hear them!

"Well, they're not so bad."

"What did you not fucking understand about _the Puffs_, Boomer?"

Boomer sighed, looking at my siblings and me. "Excuse us a moment," He said, pulling his brothers inside. At least Boomer had the courtesy to argue about this away from us.

The door shut with a loud bang. I beamed at my siblings, "Well, this is going better than expected!" I chirped, trying to keep things optimistic. Buttercup looked at me, unamused, before looking elsewhere. I felt my smile falter and I sighed inwardly, Buttercup was still angry with this and I knew deep down she hated the idea that I wanted to talk to Boomer.

Buttercup sighed, leaning against the rusted rail outside of their apartment, waiting for them to come back out.

Finally the door opened again, revealing the boys in the same position as before. I smothered a giggle. It was kind of funny to see that they hadn't changed positions. Brick looked grimly at his brothers, one of whom, Boomer, nodded encouragingly. "Okay, we'll do it." That was a good sign.

"Oh." Blossom said, blinking rapidly, "Okay, then. I guess we'll see you today after school, our house."

"Oh, no can do, Curves," Butch began.

"Blossom, I can't do that." Buttercup stated at the same time as Butch, moving from her leaning position. They looked at each other awkwardly. "Practice?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Butch replied, his own eyebrow raising.

"Good. It's settled. You and Buttercup can come over after your practice. It's only an hour right?" Buttercup grumbled in response.

"Aw, Curves, I didn't know you cared enough to memorize how long my practices."

"She didn't dip-wad," Buttercup spat, "your practice is the same as mine." My sisters and I turned to leave.

"So _that's _why there's all those lovely ladies prancing about all the time. I thought it was just a celebration of my manliness." Butch boasted.

Buttercup rolled her eyes before retorting, "More like your fruitiness." Hearing a snicker behind me, I turned to see Boomer laughing into his hand while Butch glared at him. I giggled as the full meaning of Buttercup's comment hit me. For once, I got something that Blossom didn't get.

"It wasn't that funny, Boomer."

"Bro, she just called you _gay_." He laughed louder. I giggled louder. Sneaking a look at Buttercup, I saw that the corners of her lips tugged upward into a slight smile. This is better than expected. She might be getting along with the boys, or more specifically, Boomer. Hey, he made her laugh. That's the first step.

"That's because she's projecting her gayness onto me." Oh poop. Butch and his big mouth. Turning around, Buttercup punched Butch in the face. I winced, that's got to hurt.

"Stop fucking calling me gay! If anyone's 'projecting' here, you are." Sighing, I turned back around and followed my sisters home to pick up the car.

"Dude, she's got you pegged." Brick laughed, slapping his brother on the back while Boomer laughed at his expense in the background. Buttercup smiled again. At least she seemed to like the other two. I glanced back and gave Boomer a small wave before we left their house.

* * *

"Okay, for the last fifteen minutes of class, I want you all to answer this free-response question," Mr. Laforest announced, as he handed out sheets of paper. I groaned. Don't get me wrong, I love AP Environmental Science, but the free-response questions were so annoying. I glanced at Gina and giggled when she gave me one of her "I'm-so-screwed" faces. She quickly recomposed her face as Mr. Laforest handed her the question.

Sighing heavily, I glanced down at my sheet of paper:

The American Whooping crane and the California condor are two of North America's largest birds. Although both are rare and endangered species, they are protected, and large preserves are available to them. The two species however, seem to be responding differently to these conservation efforts.

I skimmed quickly through the background information and got to the questions.

Identify and describe TWO major causes for the original decline of these species. (You may describe one cause for each species or two causes for one.)

Describe two measures that have been taken to protect these species.

Describe TWO important characteristics in an endangered species that would cause it to be slow to recover.

Make one ecological or economical argument for protecting the whooping crane, the condor, or another endangered species and make one ecological or economical argument against protecting it.

Poop. It was one of those four part questions. I turned to see Gina writing rapidly on a sheet of lined paper. Picking up my pencil, I reread the background information and started to answer part a.

Finishing the last answer, I glanced up at the clock and smiled. I had finished in ten minutes, not fifteen. I quickly reread my answers making sure that I had no mistakes or problems. Satisfied, I made my way to Mr. Laforest's desk and placed the sheet in front of him.

"Five more minutes!" announced Mr. Laforest, after turning to check the time. His announcement caused a majority of the class to write faster. I even heard a few curse as they shot panicked glances at the clock.

"Bubbles, since you finished you may go. You're homework is to write a paper on a biome," Mr. Laforest whispered quietly, handing me an assignment sheet before returning to his work. I beamed back.

Returning to my seat, I slowly gathered my things, hoping that Gina would finish soon. While slipping my notebook in my bag, I noticed Gina biting her lip nervously as she placed her pencil quietly on her desk. She got up slowly, reading her work as she walked up to Mr. Laforest's desk.

"Are you done Gina?" I heard him whisper. Gina gave a nervous laugh and replied, "I think so," before placing her answers on top of mine.

"You may go as well," Mr. Laforest whispered, handing her the assignment sheet. Gina smiled and headed back toward her seat. Slipping her things inside her bag, quickly and quietly, she then headed toward the door. I quickly followed, pausing to wave good-bye to Mr. Laforest.

"That wasn't too bad," mused Gina the second the door closed behind us.

I nodded in agreement, "The homework seems pretty easy. Do you know which biome you want to study?" I asked. Gina paused for a while before shaking her head.

"There are so many to choose from, but I might do the tropical rainforest." She replied, pulling out the assignment sheet and glancing down the list of biomes, "we have to explain the diversity of the biome, soil type, and everything," she continued.

"At least it won't be too hard, just a lot of research," I noted. Reaching our lockers, I expertly spun the lock and yanked open the door. Gina nodded in agreement before yanking open her own locker. After consulting her planner, she began pulling out some binders and textbooks and slipped them into her waiting bag.

The last bell rang as I zipped up my own bag and slammed my locker shut. Doors along the hallway swung open and students began pouring out of their classes. Gina slung her bag over her shoulder with a tiny grunt, bending slightly under its weight.

"Hey, since we don't have Pokettes practice, do you want to come over?" Gina asked brightly, blowing a strand of her black hair out of her face.

"Bubbles!" An all too familiar voice rang from across the hall. Glancing over, I saw Blossom fighting her way through the crowd, hugging her textbooks to her chest. I sighed.

"We have a meeting at our house today, be there in twenty-five minutes!" Blossom cried over her shoulder as she continued to her locker.

"I know!" I retorted, rolling my eyes. I may not be the smartest of the three, but I am not some forgetful ditz.

Gina smiled ruefully, "So I guess that means a little detour at my house is out of the question?"

I nodded, "But we can still walk home together, it doesn't take me twenty-five minutes to get home and your house is along the way," I added brightly. Gina laughed and we headed toward the school entrance.

As we headed across the parking lot, I caught a glimpse of Princess pressing up against Jacques. I scowled, unable to tear my eyes away from the nauseating couple. Even if I was the "cute" one, I still couldn't hold onto a stupid boyfriend. I shook my head, what was I thinking? Jacques was simply under the affects of the potion.

"I'm sorry, but can you please not gawk? It's rude," a snide, nasally voice punctured my thoughts. I blinked in surprise and noticed Princess sneering at me as Jacques continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. I scowled, willing my eyes not to fill up.

"Why don't you just do the world a favor and get a room?" Gina retorted, "Actually, instead of getting a room, why don't you just disappear off the face of this earth?" She continued, placing her arm protectively around my shoulders and steering me away from them.

"Ugh, what is her problem?" cried Princess; her slight lisp proving that Gina's words had upset her.

"Don't worry about the jealous girls, my darling," I heard Jacques comfort her. I blinked back angry tears.

"Bubbles!" I glanced up and smiled as I saw a familiar blonde running toward us.

"Hey Boomer!" I chirped back, waving. Gina involuntarily ducked behind me.

"Hey Boomer, is Chris with you?" Gina asked, timidly peeking over my shoulder. I bit back a giggle.

Boomer shook his head, looking confused, "No, Chris said he was meeting up with you. He said he had a book to return to you or something."

"Thank god," Gina sighed in relief and straightened up.

"Wait, I thought you guys were friends," Boomer said, cocking his head like a inquisitive puppy.

"Yes, I thought so too, but friends don't really leave love notes in lockers do they?" replied Gina grimly. I burst out laughing, earning myself a glare.

"Wait, love notes? As in plural? How many did you get anyway?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

Gina sighed and started counting her fingers, "I think I got one before first period, then a second one before lunch, and then I found three more in m locker after AP Environmental, so a total of five." Boomer's eyes widened and a fresh wave of giggles bubbled out of my throat.

"Chris? Wrote five love notes?" Boomer asked. Gina nodded grimly.

Boomer whistled under his breath, "Wow, I mean I thought waiting for you outside your window was pretty extreme, but five notes in your locker in one day is also pretty intense." He said, readjusting his glasses. My stomach gave a funny little lurch as I was reminded of that day in Him's lair.

"You were there?" Gina asked as she blushed, interrupting my little trip down memory lane.

"Yeah," Boomer replied, "my brothers and I saw Chris and Seb just hanging around that house and we wanted to know if they wanted to play football. They kind blew us off." He explained, scrunching his nose in confusion.

"BOOMER!" We turned to see Brick, hovering in the air as he scanned the area for his blue brother.

"Well I should get going, Brick's waiting for me. I'll see you in a few minutes Bubbles!" Boomer said, floating off the ground and joining his brother. Gina and I watched as Brick said a few words to Boomer before zooming toward my house. Boomer sighed and quickly followed, leaving a deep blue streak in the sky.

"We should get…oh no," I turned to see Gina look horrified.

"What is it?" I asked concernedly.

"Gina, my love!" I couldn't help but giggle as Chris barreled through the crowd of students, waving a small book in his hand. Gina quickly ducked behind me and rapidly began to search through her bag, making sure that her hair covered her face.

"It's too late Gina, I think he saw you," I said, trying to smother my giggles. Gina sent me a death glare, "This isn't funny Bubbles," she cried, but straightened up nonetheless.

"Chris! Hi," She smiled and waved her hand halfheartedly.

"Did you get my letters?" Chris asked breathlessly, catching her hand in his and pressing it against his chest as if it were the most precious thing on this earth.

"Hmm? Oh…of course! I got…all…all five of them," Gina replied, trying to carefully extricate her hand from Chris's grasp.

"Oh and I have your book, darling," Chris said, placing the book he was waving carefully in her hand and then kissing it.

"Oh right, my book!" Gina flustered, yanking her hand away from Chris's lips and hurriedly placing the book in her bag.

"Gina, light of my life, I was…I was wondering," Chris hesitated, dropping down on one knee.

"Uh Chris? What are you doing?" Gina asked, looking a little nervous.

"If…if you were busy… I mean if you were free this afternoon… I was wondering if…if you wanted to go to the aquarium with me," Chris stuttered.

I sighed; I thought he was going to do something like propose to her. Gina looked relieved before realizing the full meaning of his question. Man Chris was good. Gina loved the aquarium and I could tell by her face, that she was torn between going to the aquarium and avoiding a possible date with Chris. She had been trying to avoid him ever since he was under the affects of the potion, but then again I had yet to see Gina turn down an invitation to the aquarium.

"I suppose I'm free today," Gina replied, a small smile gracing her lips. Chris beamed up at her, jumping to his feet, he grabbed her into a hug before turning to leave.

"I'll come pick you up at four-thirty," he tossed over his shoulder as he practically flew across the parking lot.

"It's a date," sighed Gina still in shock.

"You never can resist the aquarium can you?" I asked, giggling behind my hand.

"Shush Bubbles," Gina scolded, "by the way, don't you have to go to that meeting?" She asked, glancing down at her watch, "it's already three-fifteen."

"I don't have to go for another five minutes," I confirmed, "and don't change the subject," I added sternly.

"But doesn't it take you at least ten minutes to walk home?" Gina asked, "I'm not changing the subject, I just don't want you to be scolded by Blossom! She's as bad as Tina when it comes to time!" she retorted.

Poop. She had a point. I guess I'll just have to fly. I turned to Gina apologetically, "I guess I should be going…"

"Hurry! I'm sure if you fly, you won't be late!" She said, pushing me in the direction of my home.

I floated gently off the ground. Turning back, I saw Gina waving good-bye with one hand and shading her eyes from the sun's rays with the other.

"Be careful!" I called, feeling like an overprotective mom.

Gina laughed, "I will!" she replied, before turning around and walking along the sidewalk. As she walked, she rummaged in her backpack and pulled out her ipod.

"Poop," I muttered under my breath as my phone started to ring. Checking the caller ID, I noticed that it was Blossom. She was, no doubt, calling me for my lateness. Ignoring my phone, I turned and flew as fast as I could.

I softly landed in front of our front door. I am so busted. Taking a deep breath, I pasted a smile on my face and walked in. Brick and Boomer were sitting awkwardly on the couch while Blossom paced back and forth across the living room.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late…" I started.

"Where have you been?" Blossom commanded interrupting me, whirling around to face me, hands planted on her hips.

"Um…school? You know we go there everyday?" I responded with a nervous giggle, trying to ease the tension in the room.

Blossom rolled her eyes, "Brick and Boomer got here a few minutes before you did and Boomer told me that you were right behind him," she fumed, gesturing toward the Ruffs. I glanced at Boomer, who suddenly became very interested in his hands. My smile wavered as Blossom continued to scold me.

"You're so selfish sometimes Bubbles, I said twenty-five minutes, but you come in thirty. Is it really that hard to keep track of the time?" Blossom ranted. I frowned, I understand that Blossom was upset, but did she really have to scold me like a child? And did she have to do it in front of the Rowdy Ruffs? I glanced at Brick and Boomer, who were starting to look downright uncomfortable. Actually Brick looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Bubbles? Bubbles! Are you even listening?" Blossom asked, exasperated.

"Look, I'm sorry I'm late, its just Gina and I…" I started to explain.

"Typical, always coming up with childish excuses," Blossom huffed, rolling her eyes heavenward. Something inside me snapped.

"Well I'm sorry I actually have better things to do than to keep track of time as obsessively as you do!" I retorted, causing everyone to stare at me in shock, "I'm only five minutes late and we can't even have this 'meeting' without Buttercup and Butch! So what if I'm late? They're not even going to be here for another thirty minutes, meaning that we'll just end up sitting here in an awkward silence until then!" I finished, regretting my words as Blossom eyes filled with hurt.

Calming myself down, I took a deep breath, "Now I'm going upstairs to drop off my bag, I'm sure you can wait for another minute or so," Resisting the urge to stomp, I slowly turned and made my way to the stairs.

I groaned as I heard Blossom quietly excuse herself from the Ruffs and follow me up the stairs. Ignoring her, I entered my room ad closed the door in her face.

"Why are you being such a child? You didn't even greet the Ruffs!" Blossom cried, stalking into my room without my permission.

I dropped my bag with a thud, "First of all I am not a child, and second, I was going too, but wait! You started yelling at me the minute I walked in," I responded. Blossom groaned. Sinking onto my bed, she placed her head between her hands.

"You can be such a baby sometimes," Blossom muttered under her breath. I froze. Baby, she called me a baby. The word echoed mockingly in my mind. I spun to face my sister, feeling the anger boiling up inside me.

"I'm the baby?" I asked, "at least I tried to apologize for being late, whereas you, you just had to scold me before I even had the chance!"

"You were late!" Blossom cried exasperated

"At least you could wait until AFTER the meeting to scold me about it. I bet you didn't even notice how uncomfortable the Ruffs were!" I retorted.

Blossom bit her lip, "Of course I noticed, but then you had to have your little tantrum…" she trailed off.

"I wouldn't have had my so-called tantrum if you hadn't scolded me like some overprotective mother hen," I responded, crossing my arms over my chest. Blossom rolled her eyes.

"But you were late, I asked you to be back home in twenty-five minutes, but you came in thirty, therefore you were late." She pointed out.

"By five minutes and your starting to sound like Mojo," I countered, my anger disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Blossom looked confused, before a smile crept along her face.

"I guess I did sound a bit redundant," Blossom mused, before she gasped, "Oh no! We left the Ruffs just sitting there on the couch and it's been five minutes and twenty six seconds!"

I burst out into laughter, "Like I said before, you are so obsessed with time!"

"I am not! I'm just…oh forget it," Blossom sighed, straightening up and heading toward the door. I followed, still giggling.

Blossom rolled her eyes, "Bubbles, stop giggling!"

I bounced back into the living room, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting," I chirped. There was an awkward silence. Boomer and Brick fidgeted around in their seats. I turned to see Blossom, perched on the edge of the chair. I bit my lip and gazed around for something to talk about. As I glanced around, I noticed Boomer looking confused and Brick looking pensive.

"Well I'm parched, does anyone want anything to drink? Water? Juice? Soda?" I inquired, anything to break this silence.

"Uh sure, do you have a vitamin water?" Boomer asked.

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper," Brick answered. I glanced at Blossom, but she simply shook her head.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" I chirped, skipping into the kitchen. Once inside, I quickly located four glasses. Although Blossom hadn't asked for anything, I was pretty sure she would need a glass of water later on. I filled the glasses with ice and poured in the drinks. Next I found a bag of chips and some cookies. Loading them on a tray, I returned to the living room, only to find them still sitting in silence.

Placing the tray on the table, I cleared my throat, "So…we've got a few minutes before Buttercup and Butch finish their practice. Is there anything you guys want to ask us before they get here?"


	20. Chapter 20: The Meeting

Author's note:

Miyoreos1023: We own nothing!

Stphne: Read and review! We hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 20: The Meeting

I glanced around the room. Blossom occupied one chair, every once and a while checking her watch and then making a general noise of discontent. Boomer sat next to me, fidgeting with edge of the couch. Overall, the general was white. I leaned back against the couch, mentally counting the seconds in my head.

"Didn't you say Bubbles was right behind us?" I asked, turning to face Boomer.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking between Blossom and me. I knew what he was doing. He didn't want to get Bubbles, his newest friend, in any more trouble than she was. Blossom looked, well, livid to say the least from the way she kept glancing at her watch and then at the door. Suddenly she launched out of her seat and began pacing.

If there was one thing to say about Boomer it would be this: once Boomer trusts you and befriends you, he has your back no matter what. Unfortunately, his lack of thought before speaking occasionally brought him, and his friends, trouble. "Uh, well, I mean, I..."

The door clicked open, saving Boomer from answering. "Hey guys," A happy voice came from the doorway followed by a bright, blond head, "sorry I'm late..."

"Where have you been?" Blossom interrupted, spinning to face her sister, hands on her hips.

Bubbles looked around the room, glancing at Boomer and me before facing her sister. "Um...school? You know we go there everyday?" She desperately joked before letting out a nervous giggle. I smirked. Were it me, joking at a time when I was as desperately pissed as Blossom was at the moment would have been dangerous. I glanced at my counterpart. Hands on her hips and hip locked into place. It was going down.

Blossom's eyes rolled. "Brick and Boomer were here a few minutes before you did and Boomer told me you were right behind him." She gestured over to us, the perfect image of innocence. Well, except for Boomer, who looked guilty at ratting out his friend unknowingly. He switched from the couch to his hands, refusing to meet Bubbles' glance.

I couldn't lie. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, I was enjoying watching this happen. The cracks in the perfect family, rising to the top. Each time we fought them, every single time; they would rush to the scene and burst in. And then they'd say their catch phrase and complete each other sentences. They always looked so put together, so well oiled, so damn annoyingly perfect. Those girls made my brothers and me look like fools. Petty-criminal fools who had no clue. To see these cracks in their façade was like everything good that could ever happen to me came today, right at this moment. And I was going to enjoy it.

"You're so selfish sometimes, Bubbles." Blossom continued her massacre on her sister, not noticing the way that her smile wavered or the way her eyes became brighter. "I said twenty-five minutes, but you come in thirty. Is it really that hard to keep track of time?" Bubbles looked over at Boomer then at me. My enjoyment at this particular moment wouldn't be hard to conceal, but I didn't even try when Bubbles turned to look at us. Boomer, on the other hand, looked especially miserable at the predicament at hand. "Bubbles? Bubbles! Are you even listening?"

"Look, I'm sorry I'm late it's just Gina and I..."

"Typical," Blossom spat, "always coming up with childish excuses."

"Well I'm sorry I actually have better things to do than keep track of time as obsessively as you do!" Bubbles snapped at her sister. Blossom actually looked taken aback by Bubbles anger. Hell, I was shocked.

Bubbles was supposed to be the nice one, right? She was supposed to be kind, considerate, nice and never yelled, yet here she was at the end of her lead, snapping at her sister. I thought back to Boomer, her counter part. I don't know if Boomer has ever stood up to the shit Butch or I gave him. Objected, yes, but actually gotten mad at us, no. Never.

"I'm only five minutes late and we can't even have this 'meeting'," Bubble's stressed with air quotations, "without Buttercup and Butch!" Bubbles was breathing heavy, staring at her sister. I could imagine this was taking a lot from her, if she were anything like Boomer who has never snapped at us despite us making him eat all kinds of nasty things back in our youth.

"So what if I'm late? They're not even going to be here for another thirty minutes, meaning we'll just sit here in an awkward silence until then!" I saw her suddenly stop, her eyes reading Blossom's, which I couldn't see from my angle. I raised an eyebrow, attempting to get a look at what face Blossom was making. Drawing a breath, she finished with a calmer tone. "Now, I'm going upstairs to drop off my bag, I'm sure you can wait for another minute or so." Bubbles slowly climbed the stairs, Blossom standing in a stunned silence before briefly muttering an excuse and following Bubbles, who was ignoring her, up the staircase.

I looked at Boomer, who was still playing with his hands. "Oh come off it Boomer. Like you didn't secretly enjoy it on some level." He looked up at me, a frown on his normally bright face.

"No, Brick. I didn't. Bubbles is my friend and I accidentally got her in trouble."

I rolled my eyes, "No, Boomer, Bubbles got herself in trouble. If she weren't so social she could actually keep her promises and appointments."

"But that's Bubbles! She's social! She actually gives a damn about the people in our school, about her sisters, about her friends, and even about her sister's friends," Boomer looked at me with hard eyes, "Which is more than I can say about you."

"Look, she's not my friend and she's certainly not my brother." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but she's mine. And you just sat there."

"I didn't see you jumping in to help her."

Boomer looked down, slightly ashamed before looking back at me. "That's because I'm not good with words. If I had gone against Blossom..." Boomer trailed off, shaking his head before fixing me with his bright eyes, "But you, you were _made_ to go against Blossom. You are every bit as good as her and wouldn't get overwhelmed by her." I felt my stomach churn. Was this actual guilt? Never. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of what happened. Boomer finally looked away as I sighed in relief.

"I just feel, guilty, that's all."

Suddenly Bubbles entered the room, giggling. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" She chirped.

Okay. What the hell just happened? I looked at Boomer, confused. Was it normal for this to happen? From the way he looked back at me, I didn't think so. Bipolar disorder? It made sense, especially since it seems to run in the family if the way Buttercup and Butch carried on was any indication. Blossom floated down the stairs behind Bubbles, looking slightly trouble, but mostly relieved. She sat down primly on the edge of a chair, facing Boomer and me. Bubbles stood awkwardly, surveying the situation. "Well, I'm parched, does anyone want anything to drink? Water? Juice? Soda?"

"Uh, sure, do you have a vitamin water?" Boomer asked. I inwardly sighed. Him and his stupid obsession. Since Mojo won that contest that's the only thing he's been drinking.

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper." Though really, I don't have any room to talk with the way I've been drinking this specific soda.

After checking with her sister, Bubbles left the room to get our drinks. Silence prevailed once again. I looked at all the people in the room. Blossom fiddled with the hem of her white jean skirt. She crossed her legs and opened her mouth, only to close it a second later and run her hands through her hair. Catching my stare, she blushed hard and looked towards the kitchen. Interesting.

Blossom looked visibly relieved as Bubbles entered the room. "We've got a few minutes before Buttercup and Butch finish practice. Is there anything you guys want to ask before they get here?"

I looked a Boomer, who looked at me before shrugging and looking back at Bubbles. "Nope, nothing here. Maybe after we get the details though." I thought the situation. Boomer and Bubbles got along well, and Blossom and I could at least be civil to each other, but Butch and Buttercup...that was another story.

"How exactly are we going to investigate together?" I asked, worried for my green brother. A minute passed as Blossom looked at Bubbles, as if they were waiting for this exact moment.

Blossom cleared her throat. "Well, I was thinking that we would work in pairs of Boomer and Bubbles, Brick and I, and Buttercup and Butch." The door suddenly burst open as the missing members entered in.

* * *

I watched as Butterbitch landed in her yard perfectly, her feet touching down and she smoothly transferred into a walk. She was in a tank top with her hair in a small ponytail and I couldn't help but watch her. What? She was a girl! Kind of. I mean, she had the parts.

I landed in the yard behind her as she walked up to the front door, the setting sun casting long shadows on the house. Hand on the doorknob, she turned back to look at me. "Come on, douche-wad, I don't have all day." Flinging open the door, she strode in while I followed behind her.

"Oh good. Everyone's here now. We can start the meeting." Blossom said, standing up from her chair. The door closed behind me with a soft click while Blubberbutt flopped down into a chair across from a couch, which was occupied by my brothers. I moved to join them as Blossom began.

"As we mentioned earlier, we will have three groups of two. Each group will the obvious pairs and will work cooperatively with all the other groups." I scowled, but said nothing. Brick had spoken to me that morning and told us that it would be easiest for us to be in our counter-part pairs should the Puffs try anything funny. Didn't mean I agreed, but I kept quiet. I heard Butterbutt scoff and look away from her sister. Looks like the feelings mutual.

"As for why I decided to plan it this way, after much thought I realized that we each have the same strength as our counterparts and could thus most easily be utilized. "Bubbles and Boomer will work with the people, attempting to assess how bad the situation has gotten and how far it has spread. They are the most outgoing of the group and can easily talk to anyone and defuse numerous situations which would not work out so well if any other others tried it. Brick and I will assist the Professor in trying to create an antidote to the potion and do actual investigating of the crime scene being as we tend to be more bookish and less, well, social. Butch and Buttercup, since you two are more kinetic,"

"Huh?" Asked Bubbles, clearly confused as to what Blossom was saying. Truth be told, I wasn't too sure either, but I wasn't going to question a girl with curves _that_ fine.

Blossom sighed before changing her wording. "Butch and Buttercup are more hands-on. Therefore you two will be going out and gathering things, confronting people once Brick and I piece together the clues of who has done it." I saw Bubbles and Boomer look over at one another before both looked away, Boomer's face staining with a blush. God. Could he get anymore like a fuckin' pansy?

"Hey pansy-boy!" I called out, "Stop makin' eyes at your girlfriend and focus! There's plenty of time for that and a little more later." I called out, wiggling my eyebrows.

"We're just friends!" Both of the blue siblings called out at once. I saw Buttercup hold back a smirk.

"So you're getting the whole, 'we're just friends' thing too?" I said, turning to her.

Her eyes narrowed as all traces of humor drained from her face. "Shut up, you fucking pervert. Don't you _ever_ talk about my sister like that again. She's not some dumb bitch-bimbo like you fuck around with."

"Buttercup! At least _try_ to get along with Butch!" Blossom said to her sister.

"And Butch," Brick said, looking at me, "stop being so crude. Learn to actually speak about normal stuff." And this is what I'm talking about. Everytime I think we're going to start getting along, she goes and blows up at me. Seriously, I'm just trying to be friends her.

"Maybe if she wasn't such an up-tight bitch and could learn when I'm making a fucking joke we wouldn't have this problem!"

"Jesus!" Brick said, pulling his hand through his hair, "Am I seriously going to have to deal with this now? Just grow up and learn to put a censor on, okay?"

I puffed up my chest, "Butch does not come with a censor. He is completely unrated." I looked at Blossom, raising an eyebrow, "You wanna see the teaser?" Blossom looked disgusted and shocked while I heard a snort from my counterpart. I looked at her, "See! I knew you could laugh." Raising an eyebrow she looked at me before rolling her eyes and looking away again.

Brick scoffed before turning to his counterpart. "What kind of potion are we exactly talking about?" Blossom looked at Bubbles who nodded and took a breath to speak.

"Well, for the past half-year or so the Professor has been trying to create a potion to repel monsters." Impressive. The dedication to pursue something for that long was admirable in any man. Hell, if a chick makes me wait longer than two weeks to get in her pants I'd dump them. "Last week he had thought he found the formula but it turned out to be the formula for a very strong liquid love potion."

I glanced at Brick, his eyes calculating. "So how'd it end up in the water supply?" I drawled out.

"If we knew that, do you think we'd be here right now? Someone stole it, bright one." Buttercup huffed out, arms crossed.

"Isn't your lab one of the most secure places on this side of the country?" Boomer asked.

"Well, that's the thing. We don't know who stole it." Blossom stated, sinking back into her chair. "We've been trying to look for clues but whoever it was got past our security systems and someone evaded our cameras, though how would you know that?"

Boomer swallowed hard. "Uh, Internet." Bubbles giggled slightly into her hand. Inwardly I gagged at the two. God, just make out or something. All this sexual tensions killing me.

"Love potion..." Brick muttered. "Is that why everyone at school's acting so crazy?" Brick looked expectantly at Blossom.

"Wait!" I said, "Is that why Seb and Chris are acting so fucking mental?"

I saw Blossom twitch, almost like she wanted to say something but instead said something else. "Yes. That's what's going on. It's why we originally suspected you because you were all not drinking from the public water and only us and the people who stole the potion would know what was going on."

Brick stood up. "Okay I think that's all we need to know. We'll see you at school later." I stood up at the same time as Boomer and moved to leave.

"Hold it!" A voice suddenly came from behind us. We turned around. A man in a white lab coat stood in front of a door leading to a flight of stairs downward. "I think you guys need to spend some time together if you are going to truly be team mates." The man said, coming closer to us, "How can you be a team if you don't even know each other?"

I heard Blossom sigh before looking at Buttercup apologetically. What the fuck? I'm not that fucking bad! "Well girls?" Blossom asked. Buttercup scoffed a muttered a whatever. Bubbles, on the other hand, nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure!" Came a call from behind me. What the fucking hell ass-shit world fuck-face creature was Boomer? I glared at him, willing his death on him. Why isn't he dying?

"Good!" He replied, "Well, have fun!" The man marched back down the stairs as the door slammed shut. What. The. Hell.

* * *

My fingers ran over the small ridges on the cap of the bottle before me. I had already drunken most of the stuff inside, but about a quarter of it remained. Sighing, I glanced up, noticing a blond-haired girl as she stood in front of the refrigerator pondering snack choice. I had told her it was okay, that I wasn't hungry, but she insisted.

"So..." I awkwardly started, "are you okay?" I wasn't sure why exactly I found it so awkward. Maybe it was because this entire time we met by chance, we weren't exactly _forced _to socialize together but because of the whole quality of the air from our siblings, our conversation strained to keep normal.

Luckily the other pairs had separated off, Butch and Buttercup going outside, Buttercup leading the way with the "What the fuck? I'm outta here" to which Butch smirked and followed. He was never one to pass up a chance to annoy Buttercup, and what better way to do it than to force his presence on her? And Brick and Blossom still sat in the living room, the area quiet to the point of painful, ear-shattering silence.

Bubbles whirled around from the refrigerator, shutting the door as she turned. "Yeah, I'm totally fine! Totally? I don't know why you're asking though..." she trailed off, wide-eyed and giggling. Okay totally _not_ normal.

"Really? Because you didn't seem okay like, thirty minutes ago."

"Yeah, no, don't worry, I'm totally okay!" She replied, chipper as ever.

"Okay, but you know, just in case you ever need me, I'm right here. And I promise I won't tell anyone! I mean, who would I tell, my brothers? Chris?" I said, feeling kind of pathetic. I feel the heat rise on my cheeks as I turned my gaze from her, fixing my glasses, but mostly attempting to hide my blush. What kind of person willingly announces they have that few of friends? Especially to a girl they wanted to impress?

Wait, impress? Where did that come from? I shook my head, hoping to get rid of these thoughts, which clouded my mind from the real issue at hand: Bubbles.

She stood in front of the refrigerator, body tense, before sighing and plopping herself down across the table from me. Bubbles ran a hand through her hair before resting her head in her hands. Finally she looked up at me, her bright eyes fixing on my own and a small smile on her features. "I guess I'm not used to people putting themselves out like that. Normally the roles are reversed and _I'm_ the one in your position." She began before looking away, "The truth is I'm actually kind of upset."

I listened intently. Bubbles was my newest friend, I didn't want to miss anything she said. "Like, I don't know if this happens with you, but sometimes, on certain days, I just feel so, so _useless_." My eyes widened. Bubbles? Useless? But she's apart of the Powerpuff Girls, the defenders of the city!

"What? But you help protect the city! How could you ever feel useless when everyone depends on you to save the day?" I cried quietly. She smiled sadly.

"Sometimes, I wonder about that. It's always the tactical genius of a formation, or the sheer strength of a hit that saves the day." Bubbles continued on, voice low and quiet. One of her hands went to her hair, fingers stroking through her pigtails. "But I have neither of those qualities! Blossom is the smart one, and Buttercup is the strong one. Where do I belong? I am neither as smart as Blossom nor as strong as Buttercup! I'm so...useless.

"When the Professor suggested we work with you, he told us that we would have 'double the brains and double the brawn' and I couldn't help but think about how I wasn't really even mentioned." She sighed again, "And when villains try to kill us via 'the weakest link', who do they go for? Me. Sometimes I think I shouldn't even be a Powerpuff Girl anymore."

"That's, that's crazy, Bubbles!" I sputtered, "Everyone loves you! You know they love you!"

"Yeah, but what do I do to help? All I can do is speak languages! That's not even handy in battles!" She cried, her voice getting louder.

"But doesn't your ability with words make it so that you don't have to fight sometimes?" I said quietly and slowly, "Didn't you once make a monster turn around and go back to the sea without laying a hand on it?"

"Yeah, I guess," she muttered, trailing off.

"And if you weren't there the whole team dynamic would be thrown off. Like, you know the whole good-cop-bad-cop thing? Well, the Powerpuff Girls would be turned into Calculating-Cop and Bad-Cop. You're needed." I said, desperately hoping it would work. Bubbles looked at me, unconvinced.

"You're like the soft nugget in the middle of the candy bar. People come for the chocolate and the caramel, but something is just off without that satisfying nuggety-center." I tried again.

"So what you're saying is people want to...devour me?"

"Well, no, not exactly..." I stuttered out. Crap. Crap. Double crap. "God I suck at this kind of thing." I hit my face with my palm, a loud smack coming from the hit before I buried said face into my hand.

A smile suddenly broke out on her face, the first true smile that I've seen her make since this whole potion-fiasco began. "You know what Boomer? I think that was just what I needed."

My spirits brightened. "Really?"

A giggle escaped her lips, "Yeah, really. Thanks for that. You're actually pretty good, in an awkward-yet-endearing kind of way." She giggled more, "Really it's amazing you haven't been snagged up by the female population of our high school, you're so cute!" Bubbles stood up and returned to what she was doing previously and thereby missing the giant blush, which ran across my face.

"F-female population?"

"Yeah! Haven't you ever had girls come up to you?" Her bright eyes were overly curious as she turned to face me again. I silently cursed those eyes.

"Uh, well...no." I awkwardly rubbed the back of my head with one hand, the other reaching towards my bottle. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to fix my glasses again. "They're always going after Brick, 'cause he's, you know, really smart and good-looking, not that I can tell. Or Butch because he's got the whole bad-boy kind of thing going for him, I guess. They've never really noticed me, what with all their worshiping of my brothers going on." I paused, "Not that I'm jealous or anything."

"I'll tell you what. Since you helped me with my little issue, I'm going to help you with your little issue! Now what do you want to eat?"

"Oh maybe some, wait!" I cried, "Issue? What issue? Do I have an issue?"

"Of course, silly." she giggled, "Your issue on how none of the girls see you!" I sat there stunned. "I mean, how selfish would I have been to make a friend listen to all of my little problems when I haven't done anything for him?"

"Friends?" My heart stopped beating for a second.

"Stop being so silly." She stated, "Of course! You're probably my best guy friend I have, save for the good ol' Professor!" Best guy...friend? My bottle stopped moving between my hands. I couldn't help but notice the way my heart sank, the way that even my toes felt the slightest bit sick, like I was going to puke. What was happening to me? Was it a cold? Maybe the flu? I've never been sick before. Every other time I wasn't at school was me just playing hooky. I smiled, trying to cover up the horrible feeling I couldn't even begin to describe wholly.

"Right. Best guy friend." I swallowed, the phrase proved oddly difficult to say, "You're probably my best girl friend, too."

Bubbles beamed and turned back to the refrigerator, "Now, what did you say you wanted to eat again?"

"You know, Bubbles, suddenly I'm not feeling so hungry."


	21. Chapter 21: The Crime Scene

Author's Note:

Miyoreos: Sorry this is late...even though it IS summer. I've been working as a summer camp counselor and believe me, these kids wear you out!

Stphne:...

Miyoreos: WHAT?

Stphne: Miyoreos' procrastination aside, please read and review and enjoy chapter 21! :]

* * *

Chapter 21: The Crime Scene

Landing gently outside my door, I quickly retrieved my key from my bag and unlocked it.

"I'm home!" I called, pushing open the door and walking in. The house remained silent, meaning that the Professor was still in his lab and Bubbles was on her way home. I glanced down at my watch; Bubbles still had five minutes until the Ruffs got here.

Flying up to my room, I quickly deposited my bag on my desk chair. Glancing out my window, I looked for a familiar streak of blue, but to my dismay, found none. I sighed, hoping that maybe Bubbles was already here. My ears perked when I heard the doorbell ring. Flying down the stairs, I headed to the door with a relieved sigh.

"There you…Brick? Boomer?" My voice faltered as I realized my mistake.

"You asked us to come over for a meeting?" Brick answered, rolling his eyes. I blushed; of course I knew what they were doing here, it just surprised me because I was expecting Bubbles. Opening the door wider, I beckoned the boys in.

"Bubbles is right behind us," Boomer supplied, as I took one last glance at the sky before shutting the door.

"Oh, in that case, we can wait for her in the living room," I answered decisively. Brick silently stared at the room, his eyes calculating, before sauntering over to the couch and sitting down. Boomer quickly followed.

"So…how was your day?" I asked nervously, clasping my hands in front of me.

"Interesting," Boomer replied with a smile, his eyes trained on the door.

"What's it to you Pink? I'm only here for this meeting." Brick scoffed, refusing to answer my question.

Well this is slightly awkward. I thought as I occupied one chair, while Boomer and Brick occupied the couch. Boomer fidgeted in his seat, absentmindedly stroking the edge of the couch, while occasionally shooting furtive looks at the front door. Brick, on the other hand, was leaning back on the couch, a look of utter boredom on his face. I glanced at my watch and groaned internally. Bubbles was late. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but I really needed her right now. The minutes passed like hours, slowing ticking away…

"Didn't you say Bubbles was right behind us?" Brick asked, turning to face Boomer and breaking the agonizing silence. I propelled myself out of my seat and stalked over to the window, praying for a sky blue streak, only to be disappointed yet again. Unable to return to my awkward perch, I continued to walk, pacing from the window to the chair and back again.

Boomer straightened and gulped. "Uh, well, I mean, I..." he stuttered, his gaze shifting from Brick's face to mine. As he tried to answer, the door clicked open.

"Hey guys," my blonde sister chirped, skipping into the room, "sorry I'm late..."

"Where have you been?" I interrupted, spinning to face her, hands firmly planted on my hips.

Bubbles looked around the room, glancing at Brick and Boomer before facing me. "Um...school? You know we go there everyday?" She desperately joked before letting out a nervous giggle. I couldn't believe she was trying to joke at a time like this. Did she want me to look like an irresponsible leader who had no control?

I rolled my eyes, "Brick and Boomer got here a few minutes before you did and Boomer told me that you were right behind him," I fumed, gesturing toward the Ruffs. Bubbles glanced away her smile wavering, but I couldn't stop the torrent of words falling from my lips.

"You're so selfish sometimes Bubbles, I said twenty-five minutes, but you come in thirty. Is it really that hard to keep track of the time?" I continued Bubbles frowned and shot another look at the Ruffs.

"Bubbles? Bubbles! Are you even listening?" I asked, exasperated. Why was she so distracted? I could tell that she was trying to tune me out.

"Look, I'm sorry I'm late, its just Gina and I…" she started to explain.

"Typical, always coming up with childish excuses," I interrupted, rolling my eyes heavenward. Why did she have to be so vacuous? She should learn to keep her appointments and not waste time with worthless gossip.

"Well I'm sorry I actually have better things to do than to keep track of time as obsessively as you do!" She retorted, her eyes narrowed angrily. I stepped back in shock, my eyes wide and surprised. Bubbles hadn't lashed out like this since she was five, and that was when she managed to defeat Mojo all by herself.

"I'm only five minutes late and we can't even have this 'meeting'," I winced as she stressed the word meeting with air quotations, "without Buttercup and Butch! So what if I'm late? They're not even going to be here for another thirty minutes, meaning that we'll just end up sitting here in an awkward silence until then!" she finished, her chest heaving. I remained mute, praying that Bubbles didn't do anything rash.

After a few seconds, Bubbles took a few deep breaths to compose herself before primly adding, "Now I'm going upstairs to drop off my bag, I'm sure you can wait for another minute or so." She turned slowly, controlling her anger and made her way quietly up the stairs.

"I'll be right back," I whispered apologetically at the Ruffs, carefully noting Boomer's uncomfortable visage and Brick's delighted one.

Following Bubbles up to her room, I sighed when she shut the door in my face.

"Why are you being such a child? You didn't even greet the Ruffs!" I cried, pushing open her door and striding into her room.

Bubbles dropped her bag with a thud, "First of all I am not a child, and second, I was going too, but wait! You started yelling at me the minute I walked in!" She responded. I groaned. Sinking onto her bed, I cradled my head between my hands. It was so childish of Bubbles to be such a drama queen at a time like this.

"You can be such a baby sometimes," I muttered under her breath. Bubbles froze and then spun to face me. For once, I regretted my word choice. Bubbles' eyes were narrowed dangerously and I could see faint blue sparks dancing along her knuckles, something that never happened before.

"I'm the baby?" she asked, her voice chilling, "at least I tried to apologize for being late, whereas you, you just scolded me before I even had the chance!"

"You were late!" I cried exasperated, trying to appeal to her logic.

"At least you could wait until _after_ the meeting to scold me about it. I bet you didn't even notice how uncomfortable the Ruffs were!" She retorted.

I bit my lip. Bubbles' did have a point there. "Of course I noticed, but then you had to have your little tantrum…" I trailed off.

"I wouldn't have had my so-called tantrum if you hadn't scolded me like some overprotective mother hen," she responded, crossing her arms over her chest. I rolled her eyes.

"But you were late, I asked you to be back home in twenty-five minutes, but you came in thirty, therefore you were late." I repeated, realizing how redundant I was being.

"By five minutes," Bubbles countered, "and you're starting to sound like Mojo," she added with a small smile. I guess Bubbles caught on, I thought before letting a smile creep across my face.

"I guess I did sound a bit redundant," I mused, before I remembered the Ruffs.

"Oh no! We left the Ruffs just sitting there on the couch and it's been five minutes and twenty six seconds!" I gasped.

Bubbles burst out into laughter, "Like I said before, you are so obsessed with time!"

"I am not!" I burst out defensively, "I'm just…" I blushed, realizing that my little outburst had included the time to the very second. I racked my brains for a plausible argument, but came up with a blank. "Oh forget it," I muttered, as Bubbles continued to giggle. At least she wasn't angry anymore. Rolling my eyes, I stood up, pulled at the hem of my shirt and walked briskly over to the door.

Pulling it opened, I rolled my eyes, "Bubbles! Stop giggling!" I commanded, trying to keep my tone serious. Bubbles followed, trying to smother her giggles, but clearly failing.

She bounced past me and into the living room, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" she chirped, beaming at the Ruffs as they stared confusedly up at her. Walking into the room, I headed straight for the armchair and perched awkwardly on the edge. The silence continued, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. I could feel Bubbles' gaze shift toward me as I stared resolutely into my lap.

"Well I'm parched; does anyone want anything to drink? Water? Juice? Soda?" she inquired, finally breaking the silence. She was always good with small talk. I glanced down at my watch. It would be another ten minutes or so until Butch and Buttercup returned from practice, allowing me to start the meeting.

"Uh sure, do you have a vitamin water?" Boomer asked.

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper," Brick answered. I smiled, after seeing the kind of drinks that Mojo had procured from the drink contest, I was able to deduce what each Ruff preferred and had stocked the kitchen accordingly. Bubbles glanced questioningly back at me, but I simply shook my head. I didn't feel like drinking anything at the moment.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" she chirped, my eyes followed her as she skipped into the kitchen. The door swung shut and the silence returned. Fiddling with the hem of my white jean skirt, I glanced at the other occupants in the room. Brick seemed to be surveying the room and Boomer was gazing at the kitchen door, a bemused expression on his face. I crossed my legs and tucked a lock of my red hair behind my ear. Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth, trying to think of something to say to break the never-ending silence. I snapped my mouth shut as my mind came up with a blank. Suddenly, Brick's red eyes seemed to be boring into mine. Feeling my face heat up, I tore my eyes from his gaze and quickly glanced back toward the kitchen, praying that Bubbles would hurry. My mind flooded with past memories. It was the first day of middle school, during lunch period.

"_Hey! You girls are new here aren't you?" Bubbles asked, smiling sweetly to two girls hesitantly standing by the cafeteria doors. _

"_Yeah," The brunette answered. _

"_Well do you want to sit with us?" Bubbles asked, gesturing at the two empty seats. _

"_That would be great!" The Asian girl replied, smiling with relief and making her way to the table. _

"_I'm Bubbles. They're my sisters, Buttercup and Blossom," Bubbles chirped as she introduced us in turn._

"_I'm Gina and this is my step sister, Tina," Gina introduced. Pretty soon, Bubbles and Gina started talking about classes and comparing schedules, squealing with excitement when they realized that they had some classes together. _

"_So do you like sports?" Tina asked, her hazel eyes questioning as she glanced up at me. _

"_You have no idea," Buttercup intercepted with a smirk. The two began a fervent conversation about sports. _

"_So who's interested in Newton's law of physics?" I asked, hoping that maybe I could be part of the conversation. _

"_Sorry, you're on your own there," Buttercup answered with a laugh, before returning to debate with Tina about whether Brazil's soccer team was better than Spain's._

_Gina shrugged her shoulders and smiled apologetically, "I'm taking astrology this year," she responded and turned back to Bubbles to continue gossiping about which boys were cute or not. _

That was the first day that we met Tina and Gina. It felt like a glass wall had separated me from the girls. Although we were all friends, Tina was more of Buttercup's friend and Gina was Bubbles' friend. I couldn't join any of their conversations, any gossip I had was either old news or just plain uninteresting, and talking about the velocity and the power of a single soccer kick simply confused Buttercup and Tina.

Bubbles has always managed to make new friends with her personality and her benevolence. And even Buttercup, despite her feisty attitude, has her own ways of making friends. Sometimes, when Buttercup was out with her sports team, celebrating a victory, Bubbles would be at a cast party, and I would be left to watch movies alone. Of course I tried to make friends, but I just didn't seem to have the right things to say.

My mind flashed back to a day in middle school. We were practicing for the Townsville annual Matheletes competition. I had been invited to eat a celebratory dinner with my teammates. Although I had accepted, I couldn't quite enter the conversations that they had. I had never played strategic online computer games, nor did I understand anything they talked about. I had remained silent, smiling and nodding when they asked me a question.

Later that evening, as we were heading out, I overheard a boy ask why I wasn't so talkative. A girl butted in, "Blossom just thinks she's too good for us. I mean she's a superhero. We're just nobodies to her. It's obvious she only came with us out of pity." She scoffed, looking over her shoulder and giving me a pointed look. I had tried to ignore her snide comments, but everytime I tried to talk to them they simply smiled and said, "It would only bore you."

The sound of clinking glass penetrated the room and the door swung open, interrupting my brief yet painful trip down memory lane. I sighed, relieved, as Bubbles quickly crossed the room carrying a tray with four glasses of ice, two water bottles, a vitamin water, and a Dr. Pepper.

Placing the tray on the table, Bubbles cleared her throat, "So…we've got a few minutes before Buttercup and Butch finish their practice. Is there anything you guys want to ask us before they get here?" I relaxed into my chair. Bubbles always seemed to know how to keep the silence away.

* * *

"Well, have fun!" The Professor remarked, looking satisfied before marching back down the stairs to his lab.

I glanced at Buttercup's horrified face and Bubbles' enthusiastic one before breaking the silence, "Well you heard what the Professor said. Let's 'bond'," I sighed, emphasizing the word bond with air quotes.

Buttercup snapped her mouth shut, whirling around she stomped outside muttering, "What the fuck? I'm outta here!" a smirking Butch following in her wake. I hoped that Buttercup and Butch didn't end up killing each other out there.

"I guess Boomer and I can go to the kitchen. C'mon Boomer!" Bubbles chirped, bouncing up from her seat and heading back toward the door.

Boomer grabbed his vitamin water and turned to Brick with a smile, "Later," he said before punching Brick's shoulder lightly and following Bubbles. Brick's eyes were trained on his brother's retreating back, a slight look of panic on his face, which caught me by surprise. Did he abhor the thought of being left alone with me that much? As the door swung shut behind our siblings, I heard Bubbles cheerily ask if Boomer wanted something to eat.

Silently, I crossed over to the couch and sat awkwardly next to Brick. He glanced at me in surprise, before hurriedly scooting away from me. I bit my lip and stared down at my skirt, my fingers tugging nervously at the frayed material. This is going to be awkward.

"So…what's your favorite…color?" Brick asked. I quickly looked up, only to see Brick's red eyes boring into my startled pink ones. Although he had scooted away, I couldn't help but think that we were a bit too close. Feeling my cheeks heat up, I turned my head, hoping that he didn't notice.

First he panics when he's left alone with me, then he scoots away from me and now he wants to talk to me? That boy needs to make up his mind. Besides, what kind of a question is that anyway?

"Well obviously it's pink…that _is_ my signature color," I answered sharply, gesturing toward my pink shirt and refusing to look at him. I wore pink everyday, what other color would I like?

"Uh…yeah of course," Brick muttered, flushing and staring down at his hands. The silence in the room was so excruciating it was almost ear shattering. I stole a glance at Brick, only to see that he was staring back at me. Blushing for the second time, I averted my gaze. From the kitchen, I could hear muffled sounds of Bubbles and Boomer's conversation. It sounded like they were getting along perfectly. I couldn't help but wish that we were all in the same room.

"So…what's your favorite...food?" Brick tried again, turning his upper body so he was now facing me. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. Was he really going to ask me these questions? He kept staring at me expectantly. I glanced down at my hands, yanking a loose strand from my skirt. To my horror, it simply freed more strands. I frantically tried to tuck them out of sight, while trying to think of a food that I really enjoyed. Strawberry frosting is delectable, but then again I also really liked…

"What? But you help protect the city!" My head shot up as Boomer's voice penetrated the silence and interrupted my musings. What were Bubbles and Boomer talking about? I glanced confusedly at the kitchen door as their voices lowered to a quiet murmur. Cocking my head, I tried to catch the rest of Boomer's outburst, but only succeeded in making out "depends on" and "save the day." What was going on in there? Part of me wanted to burst into the kitchen and demand what was going on, I half rose from my chair when Brick shot out his hand and kept me from standing up.

"Blossom? Bubbles and Boomer's interesting conversation aside, you still haven't answered my question." He prompted.

"Look, I'm only bonding with you because the Professor told me to. And what's up with your supposedly 'bonding' questions? We're not in the second grade Brick," I replied, rolling my eyes and snatching my arm out of his grasp.

"Fine," he answered coldly, his red eyes narrowed, "Let's just go over the facts and solve this mystery as soon as possible," Brick's tone had lost its hesitating cordialness and had turned entirely serious and business-like. I swallowed; there really wasn't much to tell him. Was he even listening to the meeting?

"Well the potion is a very strong liquid love, and the morning the Professor made it, it was stolen. We've had suspects, but they all seem to be innocent. We know that it isn't Mojo, Him, or Fuzzy. We do know that this thief would have to be very good with computers or security systems because as Boomer said, our lab is extremely hard to break into and he was quite stealthy because nothing else was moved or touched." I counted out the facts on my fingers.

"What about us?" Brick asked.

"Well we can't really say that we don't suspect you. I mean why else would Boomer know that our lab is the most secure lab in the area," I replied cautiously. Anger flashed in Brick's eyes and his fists clenched.

"But then again, I didn't say that we think you're 100% guilty," I added hurriedly, flashing him a smile. I didn't want to get Brick angry. The anger subsided and I saw him relax his fists.

"Well I guess we'll just have to prove our innocence," Brick muttered.

"I guess you do," I said, sighing in relief.

Brick nodded his head thoughtfully, "Did you check the lab for any clues?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course we did! That's how we found the…" I flushed, as my voice trailed off. Brick continued to look at me. The truth was, I found the hair in the vacuum, not the lab. We were so caught up in coming up with logical clues that we didn't even think to look of real clues.

"Found the?" Brick prompted.

"Actually, we didn't check the lab for clues…we were too wrapped up in the logical ones," I replied honestly, waiting for a scathing reply or scoff from Brick. Surprisingly none came.

"Well then, let's go look for clues," Brick simply said, rising from the couch and offering me his hand. Ignoring the hand, I stood up and raised a questioning eyebrow at Brick.

"I was just going to help you up," muttered Brick defensively, stuffing his hand into his pocket, "Just...lead the way." He added, glancing around the room.

I led the way to the lab door, quite hidden if you didn't really look for it, and typed in the entrance code. I swiftly placed my hand on the hand scanner and my eye to the retina scanner.

"Uh Blossom, is this normal?" Brick nervously asked. I turned back to see a small red dot trained to the center of Brick's forehead.

"Oh! Oh one second!" I cried, hurriedly typing in another security code, "Sorry. There's a system that scans the area around the door, and if there is an unidentifiable person, it raises the alarm," I explained.

"That is some security," Brick breathed in relief as the laser disappeared and the door swung silently open. I glanced down the staircase.

"Professor?" I called, my voice echoing eerily through the lab. The clink of a beaker being set down and the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs notified us that the Professor was coming up. Within a few minutes, he appeared in front of us. His lab coat had several scorch marks, his hair stood on end and his face was covered in soot.

"Oh Blossom, what brings you to my lab? I thought you were bonding with the Ruffs." He asked, scratching his head and peering down at me.

"Brick and I are coming down to investigate some clues. Is that okay?" I asked sweetly, smiling up at the Professor.

"Oh! Of course, of course! Just don't touch anything on the lab table against the wall. That's where I'm working on the antidote." The Professor replied, gesturing with his hand toward the bottom of the stairs, "I think I'm going to take a little break. I could use some coffee. Excuse me." He apologized as he sidled past Brick and headed for the kitchen.

"Well then, after you," Brick nudged the small of my back. I glanced at him questioningly before my lips quirked into a small smile and floated down the stairs.

"So…this is the lab?" Brick asked bending over to inspect several beakers filled with colorful chemicals.

I shivered slightly, the Professor kept the temperature in the lab quite low to preserve the different chemicals and to keep them from denaturing.

"No it's actually the kitchen," I replied sarcastically, "Of course this is the lab!" Brick rolled his eyes in response.

I watched as Brick moved from table to table, inspecting first the Essence of Light, then the bottle of Chemical X. It was so quiet; I could practically hear the ingredients of the Professor's new antidote reacting with each other.

"So, what's new with student council?" I asked, hesitatingly, scanning floor for possible footprints.

Brick, placed a microscope back onto the table before turning toward me, "I thought we weren't asking stupid bonding questions," he replied shortly.

I groaned. "Yeah, but the silence is really making me uncomfortable." I admitted. Brick simply shrugged and continued to poke around with the Professor's equipment.

"Just don't talk to me." He muttered.

"Oh I wouldn't…" I warned just as Brick leaned over the containment ray. I winced as a flash of orange shot out.

"What the?" Brick tapped against the ray, looking bewildered and slightly angry.

"I tried to warn you, but then you told me not to talk to you," I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Brick looking so helpless.

"Just let me out of here!" Brick growled, starting to pound against the ray.

"Okay…okay…just…be…patient," I choked between laughs as I made my way over to the containment ray and pressed the release button. Brick fell to the ground with a thud, landing face first on the tiles. Before I could blink, he sprang up and dusted himself off.

"I'm not going near that…_thing_…again," he muttered, backing away from the ray.

"It's called a containment ray. The Professor repaired it a while ago. I'm surprised you didn't remember it," I replied.

"Why would I remember that?" Brick spluttered.

"Do you remember when Bubbles fooled you guys into thinking she was Boomer? And she brought you guys over to the lab and then got all three of you stuck in the containment ray?" I prompted, grinning at the memory.

Realization flooded into Brick's face and he grinned, "That was a pretty good plan of yours…for a five-year old. I still can't believe she ate that cockroach."

I laughed. "This is where the Professor left his potion." I gestured toward a cluttered desk, "Nothing seems out of place though," I mused, scanning the desk and searching for a hair or a knocked over test tube.

"Wait, what's this?" Brick squatted down to get a closer look at the tiles near the lab table. I leaned down to glimpse a small puddle.

"Is that water?" I asked, as Brick poked it with his finger.

"No," h answered, "it's kind of sticky…maybe the Professor spilled the potion." He brought his finger cautiously to his nose and sniffed it hesitantly.

"What does it smell like?" I prompted.

"I don't know. It smells familiar, but it doesn't have a certain scent," Brick cocked his head and lifted his hand toward my face. I leaned closer and took a whiff.

"Hair gel," I confirmed, and it smelled awfully familiar too.

"Does the Professor use hair gel?" Brick inquired.

"No he uses wax, and he never styles his hair in his lab," I responded.

"Which villain uses hair gel?" Brick muttered.

I quickly tried to recall any villain that used hair gel, but all I could come up with was Bubbles' slimy ex-boyfriend, Jacques, who used some ridiculously expensive hair gel from who knows where. Then it hit me. Of course! The one villain whose power comes from her hair gel!

"Sedusa," I whispered, clenching my fists. It made sense that Sedusa would use a love potion to try to take over the world. She had seduced the Professor so she could keep us girls in bed while she committed crimes. Then she had seduced the Gangreen Gang to have them steal for her. She used gel to keep her hair powerful. My mind flashed to the time she kidnapped Ms. Bellum. Ms. Bellum had been able to defeat Sedusa, but only because they tumbled into the pool and Sedusa's hair got wet.

"Excuse me?" Brick asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Sedusa! She needs hair gel for her powers and she _has_ seduced guys to do her dirty work or to get what she wants." I explained, "This hair gel must have been hers."

"Well then, I see we have a new suspect." Brick smirked.

"Let's go tell the others," I tossed over my shoulder as I floated back up the stairs.


	22. Chapter 22: Sedusa's Secret

Author's note:

Miyoreos: Sorry it's late...really late...it's all my fault...my summer job is quite demanding :p

Stphne: Yeah...she's been procrastinating...

Miyoreos: Well R and R and ENJOY!

* * *

Scowling, I couldn't help but glare at the boy in front of me. "Bonding" the Professor says, pfft. What I needed wasn't "bonding" but a restraining order for this fucking creep. I sat on the front porch step, Butch casually leaning back next to me.

"So..." He began, unwavering beneath my imposing glare, "You wanna make out or something?"

"Oh, Butch, however did you know that's exactly what I wanted to do?" I asked sweetly, batting my eyelashes. Grabbing a small rock, I threw it at his head, scowling further when he managed to dodge the damn thing. "Of course not, you fucking ass nugget! I wouldn't even touch you if you were having a fucking seizure and the antidote to this damn potion was spewing from your mouth!"

He stood up and threw his hands in the air, turning to look at me, "Well then what the fuck are we supposed to do then? Because honestly we can't work this way for however the fuck long it takes to find the freaking antidote and get whoever the hell did this!"

I bit my lower lip and looked away. It was an odd thing, really. I knew that he was right. Just like I knew I was being a bitch to him quite unnecessarily. Well, maybe I was justified this time. It's just...well I've spent my whole life fighting him, fighting his brothers. To suddenly be civil to them, simply because they've "supposedly" given up crime, well it doesn't make sense to me.

Shouldn't I understandably be upset with him, given the number of times he's tried to murder me through pure, uncensored violence? If this happened to any other person, any person without super powers, people wouldn't expect them to just make nice with their attempted-murderer. Hell, the almost-murderer would be locked away in jail! And yet, here's mine, standing just in front of me. Sometimes being super powered really sucks ass. I could feel his eyes on me as I sat still on the stairs before him.

Releasing my lip, I looked hard at him. I took in the way the sunset caused most of him to be bathed in a deep shadow, possibly the only thing that stood out at the moment were the vivid dark green of his eyes. And I took in the way he stood before me, expecting my answer but giving me time to think. And finally I took in the way he completely trusted me, even though thirteen-years prior I attempted to kill him as well. Except my attempt went a whole lot better than his.

"Fine," I finally sighed out, knowing defeat when I saw it. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch upward, "But I'm only doing this for the sake of my sisters." I warned, eyes shut and eyebrows raised. A brush of wind against my being told me that Butch had taken a seat beside me. "And we should get some base-rules established." I continued, turning me head to look at him.

"Such as..." He prompted, an eyebrow lifted.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe _no touching me or my sisters_."

Butch crinkled his nose, "You? Who'd want to touch you? Curves or Bubbles on the other hand..." I opened my mouth to retort before he interrupted me, "Chill, chill! I joke!" I mumbled incoherently, all the while glaring at the boy next to me. "Okay, so you and your sisters are in the no-touch zone. Got it. Anything else?"

"Go in our rooms and die." Butch nodded in understanding.

"No more calling me idiotic nicknames." He looked at me, questioningly. "You know," I prompted, "Blubberbutt, Butterbutt, Blubbercup, Butterbitch, Blubberbitch, et cetera."

"Okay, okay. Same goes for you, though." I nodded grimly and scoured my brain for anything else, but came up empty handed, "The rest I'll deal with later." Crossing my arms, I looked away from my counterpart towards the sun.

"So...what's your favorite color?"

I groaned in protest, "Really, Butch, really? What are we, in the second grade?" We sat in silence for a bit, both of us looking at the sunset. "Green," I finally replied. "I like the color green, though it's kind of a bit obvious."

Butch nodded, "Me too." I smiled slightly, just one corner of my mouth barely moving upward. It was silent again. I watched the sky, my eyes following a bird as it made small arcs and swoops against a backdrop of pinks, oranges, yellows, and finally purples.

"So..." Butch started as he leaned back into position, "you wanna make-out now?"

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Jerking up into a standing position, I turned around towards the door. Calm down, Buttercup; don't go back on your word now. Don't punch that stupid son of a bitch…

"Hey, where you going?"

"Away from here, Captain Obvious." I flung open the door and slammed it before he had a chance to follow me.

* * *

"So essentially you can predict anything within these two points of data." The teacher concluded. I sighed, turning and making a face at Tina, who was sitting beside me, before focusing my attention on my desk.

Suddenly a folded sheet of notebook paper invaded my sight. I glanced at Tina, who sat there focused on the teacher like an innocent student. Curious, I opened the paper.

_So how did the meeting go?_

Scowling, I dug through my bag to find something to write with. Grasping a pen of some sort I scrawled a reply before sending it back. It wasn't that it was exactly bad it's just that I actually had to be _civil_ to one of the vilest creatures on the face of this planet. And even if I wasn't paired with him I would be unhappy. The idea of either of my sisters having to put up with his antics disturbed me as well.

_So you okay then?_

I smiled at the paper. It's uncommon for Tina to actually show obvious concern. I wrote down something to ease her worries, telling her I was fine. Sending it back, I looked at the clock.

1:10. Okay, five minutes until lunch and I can escape the hell hole that is math class. Five minutes. You can pay attention for that much long. I shifted my attention back to the teacher.

"To actually make a prediction using a line calculated by using the gathered data past the maximum or below the minimum is called Extrapolation. Extrapolation is considered very unwise, though sometimes is necessary. For example…" Okay, fuck this. Gathering my pen and notebook, I stuffed them back into my bag and glanced at the clock. Two minutes.

The teacher continued to talk, about what, I have no clue; my being existed in the tick of the clock. One minute. Come on, Clock! Finally the bell rang loudly, signaling the end of third period. Yes! I leapt out of my chair and walked quickly to the door, Tina following close behind.

"So I hear it's potato day at the cafeteria." Tina stated, walking just as quickly as I was to lunch.

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited about that." I commented back, rounding the corner into the cafeteria. My eyes scanned the room in search for my sisters. My eyes settled on the usual table, but what assaulted my eyes was totally uncalled for. "What. The. Fuck." I stalked towards the table.

"So now we're eating lunch with them?" I fumed, disgusted with my sisters for trying to bond with the Rowdyruff Boys at school. Were we _trying_ to advertise something was not right? Butch pulled a face in return while Boomer looked like he'd rather be anywhere else and Brick just looked plain annoyed at my outburst.

"Yes. Now sit down and stop making a scene, Buttercup." Blossom commented coldly as she primly ate a salad. Scowling, I slammed my bag down. "Sorry, Tina," Blossom said, turning to Tina. "We couldn't find a bigger table." Returning to her former position, Blossom cut a piece of lettuce with her knife into a bite-sized piece and ate it. Inwardly I hoped she wasn't expecting that level of manners from me.

"Naw, it's all good," Tina said, looking around, "I should probably go save Gina from Chris anyways." Turning on her heels, she walked across the cafeteria towards her step-sister who was being assaulted by Chris' awkward attempts at wooing.

It was quiet. Awkwardly, horribly, quiet. I could hear the soft crunch of Blossom's lettuce and the sharp snap of Bubbles' vegetables. I glanced around the table. "So…" I started, "is there a reason this impromptu meeting was called?"

"Brick and I found a clue."

"A clue!" I mocked, "Oh, please do tell me what this clue is!" I felt Bricks annoyed glare on me and heard what sounded like an amused noise come from Butch, which was immediately covered up by a grunt due to an elbow in the gut from Brick.

Blossom rolled her eyes, "Seriously, though, we've got a person for you and Butch to check out after school today."

"Uh, what about practice? Seriously, all this "investigating" is taking away from time I'd normally be using to groom my team into ass-kicking perfection."

"I agree with Blubber-" I shot a glare at him, "I mean, Buttercup. My team's next match is this weekend and if we don't win, we can't go to state."

Blossom sighed, setting down her fork, glancing at Brick, I could almost hear her say 'You want to take this one?'

"Look guys, this will be the last time Blossom and I ask you to cancel practice. After this you can do practice every day after school for all we care." I nodded and noticed Butch doing the same. It sounded fair enough.

"Speaking of going out after school, Bubbles? Boomer? Would you guys mind going out and surveying the town to see how many people are affected? We're so lucky that this whole 'purified' bottled water thing has become so popular or else we'd have a lot more casualties than normal." Blossom cut another piece of lettuce into a bite-sized piece as she said this. Jesus, just stuff the stupid leaf in your mouth!

"Sure!" Bubbles chirped along with Boomer, "We'll go right after Pokettes practice!"

"Wait, just who _are_ Butch and I investigating anyways? You never told us."

Brick and Blossom turned to look at each other before Blossom looked back at us. "Sedusa."

Wait, Sedusa? Cleavage-baring, fish-net-wearing, seducing Sedusa? Fuck my life. I have possibly the horniest, slimiest boy in the world and I have to face a fucking _seductress_ with him? Did whoever the hell is up there enjoy fucking with my life that much? "You have _got_ to be shitting me."

"Buttercup! Watch your language!" Blossom nagged me. I rolled my eyes. "And no I am not, well, you know." I rolled my eyes at her unwillingness to say the word shit or any of its variants. It's a fucking four-letter word! Get over yourself already. "We found a clue which makes us suspect her."

"What was it?" Butch asked a semi-intelligent question for once in his life.

Brick shrugged, "Some sort of gooey substance. It could be hair gel." I nodded, this all making sense to me on some level, though I still loathed going there with Butch. I glanced over at the previously mentioned boy. He was looking away from the table, smirking at something.

Following his gaze, I silently corrected my statement from earlier. Scratch 'something'. Butch was looking at Lisa Jansen. Lisa "I've got a purity-ring because I'm a fucking gift sent down from God" Jansen. Right. Good luck with that one, Mr. Smooth-Operator.

* * *

I stood in front of a glass house. Seriously, I'm not making this shit up. Sedusa's "lair" was nothing more than a couple of large windows with a roof and a large pool. Why she had a pool, I would never know. Water was her weakness, yet she kept a large container of it right outside of her house. I shook my head; villains never ceased to amaze me with their stupidity. I briefly noticed all the blinds in the house were drawn.

"Are you just going to stand there all day? I know my presence is intoxicating, but I have something, or should I say Lisa Jansen, to do. So can we get this over with, already?"

I wrinkled my nose, "Lisa? Lisa _Jansen_?" Lisa was infamous for having a numerous amount boyfriends all of whom mysteriously contract some sort of disease known as 'blue ball' syndrome and promptly brake up with her.

"Yeah, what's wrong with her?"

"It's, well, _Lisa_." Did he seriously not know?

"I think we've established this."

I shrugged my shoulders and continued towards the house, "I just never knew she was your type."

The sounds of feet traveled to my ears as Butch ran to catch up to me. I had reached the door by the time he finally caught up. "Type? What do you mean 'not my type'?" Rolling my eyes, I knocked on the door.

"Wait, Buttercup, what do you mean?"

"Would you shut the _hell_ up?" Suddenly the door opened a crack showing a large green eye. It immediately focused on me and narrowed.

"What do _you_ want?" The eye shifted, finally noticing another person beside me. "I mean, how may I help you?" She asked sweetly, fingers wrapping around the door coyly. Sedusa fluttered her eyelashes at Butch. I inwardly hurled a little bit, Butch, however, seemed taken with her, if the way his chest puffed out a little bit was any indication.

"Where were you last Thursday?" Short, quick, easy: like a Band-Aid.

A giggle floated out of her house, "Oh you know, I went to the spa and got a facial," Sedusa began breathily, "and then I went to the mall and picked out some lingerie…" Her fingers began stroking the edge of the door.

"Evening, Sedusa, Thursday _evening_." I needed to get out of here before I got herpes or something.

"Oh, well," She began again, her voice still oddly breathy, "after I went shopping at the mall, I came back to my house." Bored I nodded in understanding, watching Butch being transfixed by her fingers moved against the door. Boys.

"And after that?" I pressed.

"Well, I went up to my room," she purred, her fingers still moving. From the corner of my eye I saw Butch swallow heavily, "and tried on all my lingerie."

"Alright, that's it!" I cried, annoyed with the whole thing, "Butch, you go over there, behind that bush!"

"What? But…why?"

"Because two certain _people_ can't fucking focus!" I screamed, "Now get!" Butch scowled and left, muttering under his breath.

"Aw, why'd you do that?" Sedusa whined.

"Now, what did you _really _do, Sedusa?"

She scowled and looked away, mumbling. I rubbed my head, feeling a headache forming. "Okay can you open the door, please?"

"No." She said. I could hear the pout in the tone of her voice.

"Sedusa!" I exclaimed, "Either you open this door or I _will_ kick it down!"

"Fine!" The door flung open, revealing a dark house. Peering around, I attempted to find Sedusa. No such luck.

"Sedusa?" I called out, gingerly stepping in. I peered around the corner. Sedusa sat on a couch, a blanket around her head and shoulders. The room, much like the others, was dark. Blankets sat on a large wall hanging in the room. I raked through my memory of the times we fought here. A mirror, that's what the thing was.

"Close the door. You're letting the bugs in."

I gently shut the door behind me. "Woah, who died in here?" I joked. She didn't laugh. Okay, bad joke. "Seriously, Sedusa, what's up?"

"I didn't go anywhere."

"What?"

"Last Thursday. I didn't go anywhere." She tugged at the blanket, moving it to cover her face more. "Nor did I go anywhere the day before there, nor the day before that." She turned to face me, "I haven't been out of here _since_ Tuesday."

"Tuesday? But…why?"

"Why? _Why?_ This is why!" She flung off her blanket dramatically. I gasped, shocked at what faced me.

Sedusa sobbed into her hands, "Hideous! I'm _hideous_!" I froze. What the fuck was I supposed to do? I'm not Bubbles! I am so _not _okay with this touchy crap. I sighed. For the mission. This is for the mission.

"You aren't hideous." I scoffed, trying to hide how freaked out I was. Truth be told, Sedusa wasn't looking her 100%. Her normally lively locks lay limp at the side of her face, not an ounce of spring was left in them.

"Yes I am!" She wailed, tears streaming from her face.

"Hey," I said, sitting down beside her on the couch, "Butch didn't think you were hideous." I crossed my fingers behind my back. Please don't realize he never saw you, I silently hoped.

"He didn't?" She asked, hopefully, her eyes shining over with hope and the remains of her alligator tears.

"Erm, uh, no he seemed rather, impressed by you." I said, conveniently forgetting the fact that Butch hits on anything with boobs. Aside from me, that is.

"So I'm, not…hideous?" I shook my head. Sedusa, reinvigorated by this, leaped out of her seat. "All that time! Wasted!"

"Wasted?"

"Yes, all those lovely men who have been lonely without the presence of moi!"

"Right…" I trailed off, "Why does your hair look like that anyways?"

"Oh, the hair gel I use to get my luscious locks to look, well, luscious got the entire stock bought out!" She was digging through a drawer in search for something, "You see I ran out of gel on Tuesday, and it lasts for three days and if I apply it before then it damages the hair follicles and well, that's just not good. So when I went to order it on Thursday it was all gone!"

"What hair gel do you use?" I asked, because how many people need hair gel which causes their hair to _come to life_?

"Narcissist Hair Gel," she answered sweetly, pulling out a nail file.

"But, isn't that normal gel?" I watched her file her nails.

"Yeah, I add stuff into it," She glanced up at me, an idea written on her face. "You know, you've been a really good sport with all of this."

"It was really no problem," I stated, not liking where this was going. I stood up to leave, "Well, it's about time I left so…"

Sedusa's mouth curled into a smile, "You know I should really pay that kind of kindness back." Picking something up, she began walking towards me.

Laughing desperately, I backed away, "No, really, it's all okay."

"No," Sedusa said, "I insist." And with that she leapt at me. The woman may not have her super-powered hair, but damn she was fast! Within seconds I was restrained with no way out. Shit.

Sedusa came towards me, a kind of wand out and advancing towards me. "I assure you, your boyfriend will like it a lot, too."

"Boyfriend?" I asked, panicked in an attempt to distract her, "What do you mean, boyfriend?"

She smiled a malicious, knowing smile and then descended upon me.

* * *

I streaked out of the house, finally free of my torture. "Bye-bye Buttercup!" Called Sedusa, "It was _so_ nice to see you!" Gasping for air, I stopped beside the bush Butch was supposed to be behind.

"Jesus, Buttercup, what took so long!" Butch, said, standing up and stretching, eyes closed.

I folded my arms across my chest, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Seriously, you were gone for _ages_!" He paused, looking at me, confused. "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing." I replied, turning away.

"Seriously, something looks…different."

"It's nothing."

"But your face…"

"I told it's nothing so shut the fuck up!" I yelled, turning to him. A look of realization crossed his face as it filled up with glee.

"You're wearing make-up."

"Shut up."

"You, Buttercup Utonium, are wearing make-up." Butch shook his head, "The boys on the team will _never_ believe this." He chuckled, caught up in the idea of telling them.

I growled under my breath, "Let's just get home." I started walking away from the house.

"You look nice, you know?" I ignored him, trying to walk away from him, but failing miserably as he kept following me. We walked in silence for a bit, the air heavy.

"So, was she hot?" Butch suddenly said.

"Who?"

"Sedusa, duh. I remember her looking quite fine once upon a time."

"Uh, I guess?" I paused, something dawning on me. I stopped walking, "Wait, ew, gross. Stop it."

"Stop what?" He said, turning to look at me.

"Just stop whatever you're doing!"

"What am I doing?"

I looked at him, not amused, "Stop trying to figure out if you can hook-up with her!" He looked at me, surprised. "You're obvious."

"Well, what do you think then, oh person-whisperer?"

"Okay first of all, what the crap kind of insult was that? You're getting worse and worse at insulting me. Secondly, she seduces men to _gain _something. And I'm sorry, but I don't think you have anything to give. And third, she's like, 41."

"So?"

"Butch, that's old enough to be your _mother_."

"Uh, ever heard of the term 'MILF'?"

"It's wrong on so many levels!" I exclaimed. Butch remained unconvinced. I looked through my brain, trying to find something to deter him. "She dated the Professor," I told him bluntly.

"Okay, that's just nasty. Thanks. Now you've ruined it for me." Smirking, I continued on my way, commending myself on a job well done. Butch followed me, frowning slightly. "Well, can you tell me what's wrong with Lisa Jansen then?"

"Nope," I replied brazenly, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

* * *

I turned to Butch as we landed in our yard. "You can probably go home now. Get ready for your date or whatever you boys do before dates."

"Are my brothers still here?"

"How would I know? I've been with you since the end of school." I rolled my eyes and entered my house.

Blossom and Bubbles were sitting in the living room, startled when I walked in. "Oh, hey there Buttercup!" Bubbles greeted with a forced giggle.

"Buttercup! You're home!" Blossom exclaimed.

"Okay, people from the land of weird…" I trailed off, eyebrow raised. I felt Butch shift behind me. "Are Butch's brother's still here?"

"No, they left a bit ago."

"You can leave now," I said, turning to face Butch.

"Buttercup!"

"Sweet. See you later, Buttercup."

"Eh, he's used to it by now." Blossom shook her head but left it alone. Good. I don't need her all up in Butch's and my dysfunctional relationship, if you could even call it that.

"So how'd it go with Sedusa?"

"Yeah, did ya get her?" Bubbles asked, excited.

I rolled my eyes, "How do you think it went?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blossom asked, defensively.

"Does it look like I apprehended anyone?"

"So, Sedusa didn't do it?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "And I am _never_ doing that again." I shuddered, at the memory. I walked towards them and flopped onto the couch.

"Well, what happened?" Blossom asked. Bubbles started looking at me, questioningly.

"Well, long story short, Sedusa was acting super weird so I told her to let me in or I'd break down the door. And she lets me in and everything looks completely like a death eater took over her house. In fact, she was even shrouded in a blanket." Bubbles and Blossom looked at each other, shocked. "So I ask what's wrong and she breaks down crying and tells me she has no gel. _She had no hair gel._ She says she's been like that since last Tuesday."

"Tuesday? But that means she couldn't have done it…" Bubbles replied, disappointment obvious in her voice.

"Hence why I said she didn't do it, smart one," Blossom rolled her eyes while Bubbles looked downwards. I felt the guilt settle in the bottom of my stomach. "But hey," I started, "you know what I found out?" Bubbles looked up at me, waiting. "Sedusa," I paused for dramatic effect, "uses Narcissist hair gel." I cackled with glee.

Bubbles gasped, "No way!"

"Way." Blossom had joined in on my laugh fest as a few giggles tore at Bubble's throat. Before I knew it the three of us were in a pile on the floor, laughing on each other.

"He's pretty much certifiably a villain now." Blossom managed out.

"Does this mean I can beat him up?" I asked, suddenly serious. Blossom looked at me reproachfully. "Joking, I'm just joking."

We lay there on the floor, staring at the ceiling. I laid my hand on my stomach, just staring. I turned my head and looked a Blossom before turning it to look at Bubbles.

I loved my sisters. I truly did. I'd pretty much do anything for them. Sometimes I cursed my pride, which wouldn't allow me to just apologize. One of those times would be now. I know that my words hurt people, especially people like Bubbles, but I just couldn't help it. It's like I have no censor on my mouth and it just bursts out. And I can't say the words to make it even a little better.

"You know, I only know two people who use Narcissist Hair Gel: Sedusa and Jacques." Blossom suddenly announced.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah, me too!" Bubbles agreed.

"And Narcissist hair isn't exactly cheap," Blossom continued on.

"Understatement of the year," I scoffed. Blossom hardly noticed my interruption. She was in her own world which she uses to figure things out.

"Now, Jacques doesn't normally have the kind of funds to buy out the entire stock of the gel, so it had to have been someone with major bucks…" Blossom trailed off, "Bucks…bucks…Princess!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Princess?" Bubbles and I questioned at the same time. Okay we really have got to work on _not_ doing that.

"Yes! Princess Morebucks. Princess has money, we know she does. And Jacques is her recently acquired beau. Princess has always been infamous for showering which ever boy has caught her attention with gifts."

Bubbles gasped, "Like his locker!"

"His locker?" I questioned, "How the crap is that a gift?"

"Princess has been after Jacques for a long time, ever since he became my boyfriend in fact." Bubbles recounted, "I never told you guys because, well, I just didn't think it was important. You know, if you two ever got boyfriends she'd probably go after them too…" Bubbles trailed off, thinking about her statement.

"Bubbles!" Blossom snapped, "Focus!"

"Sorry!" Bubbles squeaked, "Anyways, at the beginning of this year Jacques was assigned locker 239 and he expressed displeasure with it. I guess Princess must have been behind us because on the first day of school Jacques got called to the office and they told him he got moved to locker number two!"

"Two?" I asked, "I would have expected number one."

Bubbles shook her head in the negative, "Nope, two. Princess couldn't give up number one, now could she?"

"Well, girls, I think we've found our next suspect: Princess."

"Yeah," I agreed, "she had everything, resources to hack our securities and motive."

"Motive? I know she hates us, but how could her stealing that potion help?"

"Bubbles," Blossom said, "just think about it."

"Oh," Bubbles said. Suddenly her eyes widened, "Oh!"

"Yeah," I said, "exactly."

"So she knew that Jacques would eventually drink water so she put the potion in the water supply so she could get Jacques and therefore hurt us!"

"Exactly," Blossom said, nodding.

"But Princess won't exactly talk to us…" Bubbles commented. I frowned. She was right. While she may not exactly hate me as much as Bubbles or Blossom, because she'd rather be either of them than me, she still doesn't exactly like me either.

"Maybe," I started out before biting my lip, "maybe we could use the boys to do it?"

"But how would we convince them?" Bubbles asked, "Boomer hates Princess!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Butch dislikes her too. I mean, he doesn't even try to hit on her…which is like me, actually. And you know how much he hates me."

Blossom frowned, sitting up. "Brick doesn't like her either. Well, Brick doesn't like anyone, really, as far as I can tell. There are just 'annoying' and 'less annoying' for him." She turned to us, smile on her face. "Don't worry girls. I'm sure that if I can convince Brick to do it, he'll convince the others to do it."

"One can only hope," I said, shaking my head, joining Blossom and turning to face my sisters. If Brick is anything like Blossom, which he is, as time has told us again and again, he won't be easy to convince. None of our counterparts will be.

"Maybe we could help," Bubbles began, finally joining Blossom and I. "I mean, you two tell me often enough that my puppy-dog looks are, well, irresistible." She shot Blossom a knowing look. I looked between my two sisters, confused. Okay, what just happened?

"You mean, you'd help me?" Blossom looked way more touched than she should be.

"Well, duh, Brainiac," I said, eyebrow propped up. "We're a team, aren't we?"

Blossom smiled at us, "Well, I suppose we could do it during lunch…" Bubbles gasped, cutting whatever Blossom was going to say off.

"Buttercup!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I barked out, annoyed at her because seriously? She interrupts Blossom to say my name?

"You're, you're wearing _makeup._" Aw, shit. I stood up to turn around, but not fast enough. Within a second, a pink blur had invaded my space, throwing me to the ground. I struggled, shifting my weight to try and throw her off. I succeeded for a bit, only to have a pink haze cover my body. Feeling the strength flee my body, I sat on the floor, arms crossed over my chest, knowing trying to escape would be useless as long as Blossom was using her powers of negation against me.

"Oh my god!" Blossom exclaimed, "You're right!" I glowered in her direction, wishing the pair would just shut their faces. Their faces came closer, obscuring my sight from anything but their large heads. I scowled further.

"You know, even despite the scowl, she's quite pretty, don't you think?" I glared at Bubbles.

"Okay, you two have had your _fun_," I spat, "now will you_ let me go_?" I turned my glare on Blossom.

"You're right, Bubbles!" I groaned, rolling my eyes, "Oh stop being so histrionic, Buttercup. You look beautiful, especially your eyes."

"Yeah, her eyes are my favorite part!" Bubbles exclaimed. I paused, mouth open, ready to fight back.

"My…eyes?" I asked, puzzled. What was so good about my eyes?

"They're green!" Bubbles sighed, backing away. "I wished I had green eyes, they're so expressive!"

"Expressive?"

"I get what you're saying, Bubbles!" Blossom agreed, "I mean, just one look at Buttercup's eyes and you _know _what she's thinking."

"Yeah! Blue eyes are so dull. They always look so cold…like ice!"

"Well at least your eyes are normal colored! Mine are pink! _Pink!_" Blossom exclaimed, jumping away, "No one in the world has pink eyes, which makes me a genetic freak, literally."

I scoffed, turning my face away from my sisters, praying they didn't see the slight dusting of pink across my face, "Are you two finished yet? I kind of need to cook dinner before the Professor flips a shit." I paused thinking, "And speaking of shit, I need to take this shit off."

"Aw, okay," Bubbles said, sounding oddly disappointed, "I mean, it's so rare to see you so…made up!"

"And it will probably be the last time until I die." I stood up, the pink haze fading from around me and felt my strength return. Flying up the stairs, I left the room as fast as I could and slammed the bathroom door shut. Resting my hands on the sink, I looked at my face in the mirror.

My eyes were probably the thing that stood out the strongest. The subtle lime green color was accented by multiple shades of brown and some deep purple – almost dark brown – eyeliner. And my cheeks had subtle traces of pink on them, similar to the ones I got after a particularly hard practice, only like, a billion times nicer. I looked at myself as a whole in the mirror, gasping.

Grabbing the water bottle from next to the sink, I ferociously washed my face, borrowing some of Bubble's face wash, which was specifically made to get rid of this kind of shit. That, that wasn't me. That was some prettier, freak-version of me. Glancing back up at the mirror, I saw myself looking back at me. I sighed, throwing the washcloth somewhere behind me.

As I said before, never again.


	23. Chapter 23: The First Cut's the Deepest

Author's Note:

Miyoreos: HEY READERS! I'm SO SO SO terribly sorry that we have been SUPER late in uploading and continuing the story! Stphne and I have been hella busy getting settled into college and everything. Hopefully this SUPER MEGA LONG chapter will make up for it! We also posted it on a Tuesday (please note we do hope to get back to our usually Sunday weekly uploads :])

Stphne: Miyoreos' really spastic apology aside, we do apologize for the long delay and we hope that you enjoy this chapter! Remember to read and review and that nothing belongs to us….except those really minor characters like: Ken (the hair stylist), (Ben the quarterback), Henrietta and Bridgetta (the school sl…er Princess's friends) and Tina and Gina!

Miyoreos: AHAHAH SORRY FOR THE FAKE OUT! (I posted it and then took it down and reposted it) because I...

Stphne: She stupidly forgot to put in the breaklines...*rolls eyes* sheesh...that airhead...

Miyoreos: That's me! Resident spaz/air head (.)P

Stphne: No need to be proud of it you goof ball

Miyoreos: Whatever...Sorry and R and R!

* * *

Chapter 23:

"Speaking of going out after school, Bubbles? Boomer? Would you guys mind going out and surveying the town to see how many people are affected? We're so lucky that this whole 'purified' bottled water thing has become so popular or else we'd have a lot more casualties than normal." Blossom cut another piece of lettuce into a bite-sized piece and lifted it daintily to her mouth. Peeking into my Tupperware container, I pulled out a carrot stick and swirled it around in my dipping cup.

"Sure!" I chirped along with Boomer, "We'll go right after Pokettes practice!" I beamed at Boomer. Maybe we could head to the grocery stores and see how many people have been buying bottled water. That way we could gauge how many people might be drinking straight from the tap, and estimate how much of the town was infected. Thoughtfully, I bit down on my carrot stick. We would also have to see who else was infected with the potion. I knew Sebastian and Chris were infected, along with Jacques and that creepy mailbox man.

"Wait, just who _are_ Butch and I investigating anyways? You never told us." Buttercup asked, interrupting my musings. I glanced up to see her gripping her fork tightly; her green eyes boring into Blossom's pink ones.

Brick and Blossom turned to look at each other before Blossom looked back at Buttercup. "Sedusa."

Sedusa? _That_ Sedusa? I involuntarily shivered as I remembered our last encounters with that woman. She had seduced both the Professor and the Gangreen gang. Not to mention the kidnapping and impersonation of Ms. Bellum.

"You have _got_ to be shitting me." Buttercup lowered her fork and shot a glare at Butch. I could see the disgust flit through her eyes. Seeing Butch's smirk, I couldn't blame her. I would hate to face a seductress with a guy like Butch around.

"Buttercup! Watch your language!" Blossom fumed. Buttercup rolled her eyes. "And no I am not, well, you know." Buttercup rolled her eyes again at Blossom's unwillingness to repeat Buttercup's outburst. I smothered a giggle. Blossom and Buttercup's little disagreements could be quite entertaining at times.

"We found a clue which makes us suspect her." Blossom continued, pausing to take another bite of her salad.

"What was it?" Butch asked, looking both interested yet very far away.

Brick shrugged, "Some sort of gooey substance. It could be hair gel." Well I supposed that would explain why they suspected Sedusa. That woman used more hair gel than Jacques, who was known to use approximately seven or eight containers of narcissist hair gel a month. It made sense that Sedusa would try and steal the potion. She would probably use it to seduce the Mayor or worse…the Professor. I shuddered at the very thought of Sedusa using the Professor for the second time.

* * *

"Hey Bubbles! Wait up!" I heard Gina call out as I quickly headed toward the front of the school.

"Hey Gina," I stopped and turned to let her catch up.

"Do you want to hang out today? I'm thinking of baking some lemon bars." Gina asked, blowing her bangs out of her face and smiling invitingly.

"I'd love to, but Boomer and I have to go around town and see how many people are affected with the potion." I replied apologetically, gesturing toward a waiting Boomer up ahead. Gina's smile slipped, but she quickly shook her head and smiled back. I felt a twinge of guilt as Gina forced some cheer into her voice.

"That's no problem! You go work on saving the day," she chirped happily.

"Maybe some other time!" I called out to her as she breezed passed me and down the school stairs. Wrinkling my brow with concern, I couldn't help but worry that perhaps something had really upset Gina to make her usually infallible smile dim.

"Hey Boomer! Sorry I'm late," I apologized as I walked up to him. Boomer looked up and smiled. Straightening up, he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"No problem," Boomer answered with a second smile, "So where are we headed?" he asked

"Well I was thinking that we should go to public places and see if we could shut down the water fountains or something." I responded.

"Sounds good," Boomer said, heading toward the school gate. "Do you want to go to the grocery store?" He asked, nodding his head toward the right direction. Just as I open my mouth to answer his question, a better idea came to mind.

"The grocery store is a great idea, but I think we should check out the mall first. Everyone goes to the mall." I beamed at Boomer. This way, we could investigate and I could give him the first part of his makeover.

"The mall?" Boomer stopped to look at me, running his hand through his messy blonde hair. My eyes widened as a small dead fly tumbled out of his overgrown bangs.

"Definitely the mall," I confirmed with a decisive nod. Our first stop was going to be a hair salon. I'm sure we could make a quick little detour.

* * *

"This isn't the mall Bubbles." Boomer stated the minute we landed outside Ken's Hair emporium.

"I know, but I thought we could just stop by and talk to Ken. He'll know if any of his customers are affected with the potion." I chirped, breezing past Boomer's frozen form and into the hair salon. As I opened the door, the familiar scent of hair products entered my nose. I always loved the smell of Ken's salon. Turning around, I found Boomer still standing outside, his eyes weary behind the black frames of his glasses.

"Boomer, the salon isn't going to swallow you whole. Come inside." I beckoned.

"Bubbles? Is that your gorgeous voice I hear?" Ken beamed, stepping through the beaded curtain that divided the salon from the back room. I beamed back at him.

"Hi Ken! I have a couple of favors to ask from you," I replied,

"Anything for my fabulous little darling," Ken trilled back, opening his arms for a quick hug and some air kisses.

"Well, I need you to give my friend a hair cut," I started, lowering my voice so Boomer wouldn't hear me. Ken followed my gaze to Boomer, who stood awkwardly in front of the display case.

"Done, that poor darling looks like he needs it." Ken answered, wincing at Boomer's mop of uncut, unwashed blonde hair.

"The second is information, but we can get to that later," I said with a wink. Ken nodded, before sauntering over to Boomer.

Ten minutes later, Boomer was sitting in one of the salon's chairs, sifting uncomfortably under Ken's critical eyes, his now clean hair dripping from a much-needed wash. Ken quickly swooped down and plucked Boomer's glasses off his face.

"Uh…Bubbles?" Boomer asked, squinting at me, "How exactly does this help with our investigation?"

"It doesn't," I giggled, "A haircut is the first step of your make-over." Boomer's mouth dropped in horror as he looked at me through the mirror's reflection. A flash of hurt in Boomer's sapphire eyes caused me to feel a twinge of guilt. But Boomer needed this haircut. He'll thank me once he realizes how much he loves the haircut and how much attention it'll get him back at school, I resolved.

"But while Ken does your hair, he'll give us the information, right?" I added, looking at Ken meaningfully.

Ken looked up, hands poised with a pair of scissors and a brush. "Of course! Chatting helps me get the feel of my customer's personality, which helps me find the perfect haircut for them," Ken replied brightly, "Now how do we want to cut the hair? I was thinking shaggy, but with a nice boy-next-door feel." He gestured. Boomer shot me a confused glance.

"That'll be great Ken," I smiled, as he began to make swift snips with his scissors, blonde tendrils of hair quickly gathering around Boomer's feet.

"So Ken," I began, "What's new with your customers?" I asked.

"Well honey, that depends on which customer. I've got the old ladies who talk about their youth, soccer moms who talk about their kids, and single ladies who just talk about their life." Ken replied, rattling off names as he started to work on Boomer's bangs.

I bit my lip, musing over the choices that Ken gave me.

"But I did have an interesting conversation with one of the sales clerks at the mall. She works at some men's clothing store," Ken paused, cocking his head to the side.

My ears perked up, "Really?" I asked

"Well she came in gushing about wanting a new haircut to catch the attention of a certain man who shopped at her store. Of course I thought she was talking about her boyfriend of two years, so I told her, 'Honey if that man already loves you, why do you have to change your hair?' and then she told me that she met another guy," Ken reached over to grab some hair wax. Boomer's eyes followed Ken's hands as they dipped into the wax.

"And then what happened?" I prompted.

"Well I said, 'Honey, didn't you say you wanted to marry your boyfriend?' and she just got this glazed look over her face and she said, 'Forget him, I want to be with this guy for the rest of my life.' And she just up and bolted out of the chair, rushing right back to the mall," Ken continued, artfully arranging bits of Boomer's hair. I bit my lip thoughtfully. I knew the mall was a good idea to go. There were plenty of people and the clerk worked at a men's store, which narrowed down the search locations of our investigation. There were many men's clothing stores, but at least we had a guide of some sort. I felt my face light up as I realized I could continue Boomer's makeover while we investigated.

"And I am…finished!" Ken announced with a flourish as he twirled Boomer's chair around to face me. I gasped. Although Boomer's face was disgruntled and unhappy, his hair framed his face perfectly. His blonde bangs casually side-swept across his forehead and skimming the tops of his sapphire blue eyes.

"Ken! He looks absolutely amazing!" I gushed, positively beaming at Boomer as he reached for his glasses, "But now Boomer and I have to go," I added remorsefully, tugging Boomer from his chair. I quickly walked t o the cash register and paid for his haircut, slightly wincing at the price. At least it was for a good cause, I consoled myself as I watched the dollar bills slide from my view.

* * *

"Whoa….I am _not_ going in there," Boomer stopped midair, tugging his hand from my grip as I tried to pull him onto the ground next to me.

I sighed, "Boomer, we're _investigating_, the sales clerk works here. We just have to find the right store."

"I look ridiculous," Boomer retorted, pointing his finger at his new haircut.

"You look fine, I promise, after this we can go home," I pleaded, hands clasped imploringly.

"No," Boomer crossed his arms and looked toward the horizon. He reminded me of those stubborn little boys that I often see. The mother would be exasperated while they pouted and stood stock still by the door. I smiled as an idea popped into my mind.

"I'll buy you a pretzel," I wheedled, giggling as Boomer's stomach answered for him.

"Fine," Boomer sighed, his cheeks turning a pale pink. He landed gently beside me, blowing some stray bangs out of his face. I beamed back before bounding to the mall entrance.

As soon as I entered the building, I quickly headed over to the mall map. Scanning the different store names, I found a couple that sold men's clothing and located them on the map.

"C'mon Boomer!" I called over my shoulder as I headed toward our first store.

Turning the corner, I saw the brightly illuminated store sign and, stopping to let Boomer catch up, grasped his hand and pulled him inside.

"So…what exactly are we doing here?" Boomer asked, glancing at the stacks of shirts to his right and then to the shelves of jeans on his left.

"We're looking for that potion-affected sales clerk," I reminded Boomer, slowly wandering down toward the cashier, causally stopping to look at button-down shirts, sweaters and other clothing.

* * *

"Bye! Come again!" the girl at the cashier cried, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at Boomer and fluttering her fingers. A sense of pride washed over me as we exited the store. That was perhaps the third girl that had flirted with Boomer.

"Okay, so that wasn't the sales clerk we were looking for either…where to next?" Boomer asked, interrupting my thoughts. I stopped to consult the mall map before deciding on our next destination. This one looked slightly more promising.

"This way," I confirmed, striding confidently before him. I felt like I was power shopping, in the past hour we had been to five different clothing stores. It helped that some of the store clerks flirted with Boomer, which immediately told us that they weren't affected by the potion.

"Sure, but Bubbles?" Boomer stopped, I spun around to face him.

"Hm?"

"Why do you have shopping bags? Actually no…what in the world did you buy at a men's clothing store?" Boomer questioned, gesturing toward the shopping bags in my hand.

"Well I had to buy stuff at some stores…otherwise the people would get suspicious. And they aren't for me, they're for you" I explained breezily, hoping that Boomer wouldn't get offended.

He raised his eyebrow, "For me?"

"Well you seriously don't think I would buy men's clothing for myself, do you?" I giggled, walking back to Boomer. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Seriously Boomer, you'll thank me for it later! I'm just fulfilling the promise I made to you the other day." I sighed, blowing a stray lock of hair out of my face.

"Promise?" Boomer looked confused for a second before realization hit him, "Oh that promise…" he said, rumpling his hair as he ran a hand through it.

"Yes, that promise," I confirmed. "Now let's go!" I urged, glimpsing at the clock and noticing the time.

"Sure, but first, let's stop by the food court," Boomer responded, this time I raised my eyebrow.

"Boomer, we don't have that much time," I pleaded.

"I'm hungry and you owe me a pretzel," Boomer countered. I sighed, why were guys always like this? Food always came first for them. Suddenly Boomer's stomach emitted a loud growl, causing me to giggle and Boomer to blush.

"Okay, you've made you point. Let's go get you a pretzel," I caved, following Boomer into the food court.

Plunking my bags down by a bench, I gestured for Boomer to sit, "You stay here while I go get your snack. What do you want?" I asked

"Um…I want a plain pretzel with jalapeno sauce and a vitamin water," Boomer replied, sitting down.

"Be right back," I smiled, spinning on my heel and walking toward the pretzel stand.

As I quickly scanned the pretzel rack, I heard the unmistakable, annoying, snicker of Princess Morbucks' two friends Henrietta and Bridgetta. I rolled my eyes, pulling my wallet out of my purse.

"May I have a plain pretzel with jalapeno sauce and a vitamin water please?" I asked, smiling sweetly to the cashier and ignoring the nauseating sounds have Henrietta and Bridgetta's whispering. The guy at the counter nodded and, after ringing my order, passed over a paper bag and the vitamin water.

"Thanks," I chirped, placing the exact amount on the counter and turning on my heel. I froze as I saw that Henrietta and Bridgetta had approached Boomer. Leaning back on the counter, I watched as my super hearing picked up the sounds of their conversation.

"So…what's your name?" Henrietta purred, a cat-like smile spreading across her face as she slid onto the bench next to Boomer.

"Hey Henrietta, it's Boomer," Boomer replied, edging away from her.

"Boomer?" Bridgetta's eyes bulged in surprise.

"Yeah…" Boomer replied, shifting nervously in his seat.

"Well, I love your new hair," Henrietta fluttered her lashes and scooting ever closer toward Boomer.

"You look so hot…I think you might even be hotter than Butch," Bridgetta added, slipping into the seat on the other side of Boomer and leaning toward him while stroking his bicep. Boomer blushed, a shy smile creeping across his face.

"You definitely have a cuter smile than Butch or Brick," Henrietta purred, tugging Boomer's arm for his attention.

"Th-thanks, I never knew Brick smiled," stammered Boomer, blushing even more and shaking his bangs in front of his face. Realizing that I was eavesdropping, I quickly straightened up and started to head back toward him.

"Yo, Bubbles!" I glanced around in confusion, hoping to pinpoint who had called my name. Pivoting on my foot, I noticed a group of footballers sitting at a table. After catching my eye, Ben Hayes, the quarterback, stood up and sauntered toward me.

"Ben!" I cried, a smile lighting up my face.

"How are you, babe?" Ben asked, slinging an arm across my shoulders and peering into my face with his piercing blue eyes.

"I'm good," I giggled, internally wincing at the generic pet name and slipping out from under his arm.

"That's good," Ben nodded, "So…you coming to the game this Friday?" He asked, slipping both hands in his pockets.

"I'm not sure…" I hesitated, staring at my blue sneakers and trying to remember if Blossom had anything planned for us.

"Well think about it will you? It would be really awesome if you came to watch me…uh us…play," Ben said, gently lifting my chin so I could see his face.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, glancing over to Boomer. He was still flirting with the Henrietta and Bridgetta, or rather they were flirting with him.

"Okay. Hope to see you there," Ben smiled, winking at me over his shoulder as he turned to go.

"See you," I murmured, watching him saunter back toward his friends. Shaking my head, I turned back to see that Boomer was still dealing with Henrietta and Bridgetta. Squaring my shoulders, I walked up to the three of them.

"Hey, sorry I took so long!" I chirped, as I handed Boomer his pretzel and vitamin water.

"Bubbles?" The two girls gaped, snatching their hands off of Boomer.

"Oh, hi Bridgetta, Henrietta, am I interrupting something?" I asked with a smile, smothering a giggle as they scrambled out of the bench.

"Well it was nice talking to you Boomer," Henrietta said, ignoring me completely.

"But we have to go now," Bridgetta finished, linking arms with Henrietta. The two girls took one last look of Boomer and smirking, turned on their heels and sauntered away.

"Oh Boomer, you look so hot" I gushed, mimicking Bridgetta.

"Cut it out Bubbles," he nudged my shoulder, blushing a deeper red as he took a swig of his vitamin water.

I laughed, "Oh come on, you must have enjoyed it a little bit," I playfully swatted his arm.

"And we're leaving right now," Boomer replied, capping his drink and standing up.

"Are you sure? You seem to be getting a lot of attention here," I teased. Boomer muttered under his breath, glancing over to the football players.

"What?" I asked, trying to catch what he had said

"Nothing, let's just go," Boomer replied, bending over to pick up the shopping bags.

"Okay," I acquiesced; feeling confused and followed Boomer out of the mall.

* * *

"We're home," I sang as I bounced in through the door. There was no answer. Boomer sank down onto the couch as I looked around for my sisters.

"Huh. I guess no one's home…" I mused, eyeing the closed lab door.

"Guess so…" Boomer replied.

I turned to look at Boomer fixing his glasses. I guess the next step was for the Professor to make him some heatproof contacts so that he could stop using his glasses. That would be the finishing touch I decided. Boomer's eyes were definitely obscured by his glasses. Once the glasses came off, the girls were sure to come flocking.

"Is there something on my face?" Boomer asked, shifting uncomfortably under my gaze.

"Oh, sorry I was just wondering if you ever wore contacts," I replied, blushing at the fact that I was staring at him.

"Well not really, they irritated my eyes and got in the way of my lasers," Boomer answered, shaking his head.

"Well, I think I'm just going to go. Maybe Butch and Brick are already back," Boomer said, picking up his things and heading toward the door.

"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow!" I called, watching the door swing shut behind him. Something was off about Boomer today and it wasn't really his makeover.

Sighing, I reached across the coffee table for the remote and turned on the TV. Casually flipping through the channels, I pondered my entertainment choice. I could watch Dancing with the Stars, the Food Network, some strange soap opera, Bangkok Traffic Love, reruns of Friends, or sports. Well neither of them sounded good at the moment and the idea of watching the same TV show as Him was a little strange to me. I quickly pressed the power button and switched off the T.V. Instead, I pulled out my magazine and began to flip through the glossy pages. Sighing in contentment, I snuggled deeper into the corner of the couch and completely immersed myself into the articles.

Halfway through the make-up section, I heard the soft click of a door opening, followed by Blossom's voice call, "Yeah. Later!"

Peering over the edge of my magazine, I saw Brick emerge from the lab. Catching my eye, he nodded in greeting.

"Oh hey!" I called out, setting my magazine down, "I didn't know you were still here or else I would have told Boomer to wait…" I pouted, if only Boomer had waited, I could have seen Brick's reaction to Boomer's new haircut. "Poo. Now he's all alone at your house…"

"Don't worry too much about him. He's used to it by now." Brick shrugged, "I think he rather likes his alone time."

"Oh, okay." I giggled, knowing that Boomer was probably in front of a mirror, frantically trying to grow his hair back. My giggle caused Brick to frown.

"Have a safe trip home!" I called as Brick headed toward the door.

"Yeah…" Brick trailed off, suspicious, "thanks."

* * *

Blossom wandered out of the lab, and groaned as she slumped down on the couch next to me.

"You okay?" I asked, lowering my magazine and turning to face her.

"I'm fine, the investigation…not so much," She answered

"No worries, you'll get it. You're smart," I consoled, rubbing her back.

Blossom sighed in return, rubbing her face.

"How was your investigation?" She asked, peering up at me through her fingers.

Well we found one person who was affected by the potion, but we didn't really get to talk to her per say." I sighed, "So I guess it was a bit of a fail." I continued. Then I brightened, "but I did manage to get started on Boomer's make-over."

"Make-over?" Blossom asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah…he helped me with my little issue, so I helped him with his."

"What issue?" Blossom looked surprised

"You know, how he doesn't get girls because they're too obsessed with Butch or Brick," I responded airily.

"No, I mean what kind of issues do you have?" Blossom clarified

"Just a little issue, it's no big deal..." I giggled nervously. I mean it was one thing to confide in my counterpart, he understood, but Blossom? Not so much.

"Bubbles, I overheard bits of your conversation last time while you guys were in the kitchen." I inwardly sighed. Boomer was pretty loud when I told him.

"What conversation?" I asked, forcing myself to sound completely clueless. Blossom crossed her arms.

"Bubbles, he said, and I quote, 'What? But you help protect the city!'" Blossom retorted.

"So you _were_ eavesdropping! That's horrible Blossom!" I cried, trying to change the topic.

"Bubbles Utonium, you yourself said you had an issue and I don't care if it's a little issue. If you have an issue, you should be able to tell me! I'm your sister!" Blossom replied gently, placing her hand on my knee.

"You promise you won't laugh?" I asked, pulling my knees up and resting my chin on them.

"I promise," Blossom replied earnestly, her pink eyes boring into my blue ones.

"Sometimes…I just feel…" I trailed off, picking at the socks.

"You feel?" Blossom prompted, reaching over and grabbing my hand.

"I feel…useless…" I muttered, turning my head away from her.

Blossom's eyes widened, "Useless?" She echoed.

"Yeah…" I confirmed, glancing woefully at my toes.

"Why in the world do you think you're useless?" Blossom asked, draping an arm around my shoulder.

"Well…you're always the smart one and Buttercup's always the strong one. I'm always the weak link. All the villains always go for me. And even the Professor said-"

"The Professor didn't say anything!" Blossom interrupted.

"The Professor said, 'double the brains and double the brawn,' Blossom. If you're the brains and Buttercup is the brawns, then what am I? He basically told me I'm useless." I replied.

"Of course he didn't mean it like that!" Blossom cried, "And you are smart and strong! Remember the time you beat up Mojo all by yourself? You're just the nicest out of all of us. I mean look at you! You're cute and social and…and…bubbly. Everyone loves you!" She continued.

"Well, everyone loves us because we save their city, but it's usually Buttercup's strength and your plans that beat the villains. I'm just the cute one," I replied morosely.

"Seriously Bubbles?" Blossom cocked an eyebrow, "You saved Townsville from the squirrel rampage and you talked that monster into going back to Monster Island without a single fight. Do you have any idea how amazing your social skills are? You manage to make friends with everyone around you. Sometimes I'm jealous of your skills." She confessed.

"Wait," I looked up, "You're jealous of my social skills?" I asked in surprise. Blossom was always the leader. She was always little miss perfect. Why in the world would she be jealous of me?

"Yeah…I may be smart, but I'm not so good with small talk. Plus the chemistry club thinks that I think that I'm too good for them, due to my lack of social skills." Blossom muttered,

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"It's true!" Blossom reaffirmed, "You're just the friendly one. I feel like such a loner at times," This time Blossom lowered her head, her red hair cascading over her shoulders and obscuring her face. I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"But you have friends! You have me, Buttercup, Tina, and Gina." I replied soothingly.

"Yeah…but you guys are my sisters and while Tina's more Buttercup's friend, Gina's more your friend. Remember the first day that we met them?" Blossom asked

"I asked them to sit with us," I said with a smile.

"And then while Buttercup talked about sports with Tina and you talked about boys with Gina, I asked-"

"If anyone's interested in the law of physics," I interjected, smiling at the memory.

"Well obviously I have social problems because all I seem to be able to talk about are school work or tactics," Blossom concluded, "Even that time with Brick and Boomer in the house." She mused.

"What do you mean?" I asked, peering into her pink eyes.

"Well I wasn't mad because you were late, I was just upset because I had nothing to say to them and it was just…so…so…"

"Awkward?" I supplied.

"Yes! Awkward!" Blossom exclaimed, tugging at a strand of her hair.

"Well I guess we both had our own little issues," I remarked, "I thought I was the only one…"

"I thought I was the only one!" Blossom cried, "Buttercup seems to be happy the way she is and you're basically perfect,"

"I think we're all basically perfect…we _were_ the Professor's experiment to create the perfect little girls, until he accidentally added Chemical X," I countered.

"I suppose…" Blossom concurred.

"So if we have our own issues…do you think Buttercup has one as well?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Well it would make sense…"Blossom trailed off, "But what would she have an issue about? She's strong and she doesn't really care about school nor does she care about guys…" Blossom continued, thinking aloud.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Buttercup walked in, completely startling us. "Oh, hey there Buttercup!" I greeted, wincing at my forced giggle.

"Buttercup! You're home!" Blossom exclaimed.

"Okay, people from the land of weird…" Buttercup trailed off, eyebrow raised. Behind her, Butch shifted from foot to foot. "Are Butch's brother's still here?"

"No, they left a bit ago."

"You can leave now," Buttercup crisply said, turning to face Butch.

"Buttercup!" Blossom reprimanded, I smothered the urge to laugh at my sister's banter.

"Sweet. See you later, Buttercup." Butch replied, turning to his heel and exiting through the door.

"Eh, he's used to it by now." Buttercup answered nonchalantly, slamming the door behind her. Blossom shook her head, but left it alone. I sighed with relief. I didn't think I could handle a lecture about teamwork, respect, and whatever else Blossom would lecture about.

"So how'd it go with Sedusa?" Blossom asked.

"Yeah, did ya get her?" I asked, excited. I could almost picture Buttercup tying Sedusa up and getting her to confess to her crime.

She rolled her eyes, "How do you think it went?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blossom inquired, defensively.

"Does it look like I apprehended anyone?" Buttercup responded, raising her eyebrows. There was something different about Buttercup, but I couldn't quite figure it out. She looked…different; somehow her usually expressive eyes seem to pop.

"So, Sedusa didn't do it?" Blossom asked, interrupting my thoughts and looking crestfallen to have hit another possible dead end.

"No," Buttercup replied, shaking her head. "And I am _never_ doing that again." She shuddered. She walked towards us and flopped onto the couch.

"Well, what happened?" Blossom asked. I leaned past Blossom to get a better look at Buttercup's face. Despite the fact that it looked prettier, I still couldn't figure out why. I gave my head a little shake. It must be the light, I concluded.

"Well, long story short, Sedusa was acting super weird so I told her to let me in or I'd break down the door. And she lets me in and everything looks completely like a death eater took over her house. In fact, she was even shrouded in a blanket." I turned to Blossom. Well that's weird. "So I ask what's wrong and she breaks down crying and tells me she has no gel. _She had no hair gel._ She says she's been like that since last Tuesday."

"Tuesday? But that means she couldn't have done it…" I replied, not even trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.

"Hence why I said she didn't do it, smart one." Blossom rolled her eyes at Buttercup's sharp retort. I blushed and averted my gaze to my hands. I was just trying to confirm the facts…

"But hey," Buttercup started, "you know what I found out?" I looked up at her, waiting. "Sedusa," she paused for dramatic effect, "uses Narcissist hair gel!" she cackled with glee.

I gasped, "No way!" The very same one that Jacques used!

"Way." Blossom had joined in on Buttercup's laugh fest as a few giggles tore at my throat. Before I knew it the three of us were in a pile on the floor, laughing on each other.

"He's pretty much certifiably a villain now." Blossom managed out. I giggled, to think that Sedusa and Jacques had more in common then their narcissism.

"Does this mean I can beat him up?" Buttercup asked, suddenly serious. Blossom looked at Buttercup reproachfully and I frowned at her. "Joking, I'm just joking." She answered, arms held up defensively.

We lay there on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Buttercup had her hand on her stomach, just staring. She then turned her head and looked a Blossom before turning it to look at me.

I smiled at her. Although the Professor's remark of "double the brains and double the brawns," was hurtful, my talk with Blossom and this moment, lying on the carpet with my sisters, eased the pain.

I knew right there that I wasn't useless. I was part of a team. Blossom was right. While she had the brains and Buttercup had the brawns, I had the social skills. Seeing my sisters lying on the floor with me, our hair splayed across the carpet and mingling, I felt an overwhelming love for them. Sure I was close with most of the girls on Pokettes and Gina was my best friend, but nothing could replace my sisters.

"You know, I only know two people who use Narcissist Hair Gel: Sedusa and Jacques." Blossom suddenly announced.

"Yeah?" Buttercup asked, lifting her chin to look at Blossom.

"Yeah, me too!" I agreed.

"And Narcissist hair isn't exactly cheap," Blossom continued on. I nodded, remembering the frequent times I had to lend some money so that Jacques could acquire his bi-weekly tub of gel.

"Understatement of the year," Buttercup scoffed. Blossom hardly noticed her interruption. She was in her own world, caught in her logic, which she uses to figure things out.

"Now, Jacques doesn't normally have the kind of funds to buy out the entire stock of the gel, so it had to have been someone with major bucks…" Blossom trailed off, "Bucks…bucks…Princess!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Princess?" Buttercup and I questioned at the same time. I squashed the urge to call out, "jinks!"

"Yes! Princess Morebucks. Princess has money, we know she does. And Jacques is her recently acquired beau. Princess has always been infamous for showering which ever boy has caught her attention with gifts."

I gasped, "Like his locker!"

"His locker?" Buttercup questioned, "How the crap is that a gift?"

"Princess has been after Jacques for a long time, ever since he became my boyfriend in fact." I recounted, reminiscing about the first day of school. Jacques and I had been walking down the hall and he was dramatically complaining about the injustice of his locker. "I never told you guys because, well, I just didn't think it was important. You know, if you two ever got boyfriends she'd probably go after them too…" I trailed off, thinking about my statement. It was true. Princess never liked us, ever since we didn't let her become a Powerpuff girl. She liked to flaunt her riches and to always act like she was better than us. I cringed as I remembered her blatant flirting. It was like she was practically throwing herself at Jacques.

"Bubbles!" Blossom snapped, dragging me from my thoughts, "Focus!"

"Sorry!" I squeaked, "Anyways, at the beginning of this year Jacques was assigned locker 239 and he expressed displeasure with it. I guess Princess must have been behind us because on the first day of school Jacques got called to the office and they told him he got moved to locker number two!"

"Two?" Buttercup asked, "I would have expected number one."

I shook my head. No matter how much she liked Jacques, number one was her locker. "Nope, two. Princess couldn't give up number one, now could she?"

"Well, girls, I think we've found our next suspect: Princess."

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed, "she had everything, resources to hack our securities and motive."

"Motive? I know she hates us, but how could her stealing that potion help?" I asked. I hated to wrongly accuse people and we've been doing that a lot the past few weeks.

"Bubbles," Blossom said, "just think about it."

"Oh," I said. Realization hit me, "Oh!"

"Yeah," Buttercup said, "exactly."

"So she knew that Jacques would eventually drink water so she put the potion in the water supply so she could get Jacques and therefore hurt us!" I confirmed.

"Exactly," Blossom said, nodding.

"But Princess won't exactly talk to us…" I commented. Buttercup frowned.

I had tried to be nice to Princess, but it never quite worked. Every time I tried to start a pleasant conversation with her, she had glanced down her nose at me and breezed away. There was no way she would confess her crime to me. I could practically hear her obnoxious lisping voice denying her actions and demanding for evidence.

"Maybe," Buttercup started out before biting her lip, "maybe we could use the boys to do it?"

"But how would we convince them?" I asked, "Boomer hates Princess!" I recalled Boomer's look of disgust prior to my explanation to why Jacques fell in love with Princess.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Butch dislikes her too. I mean, he doesn't even try to hit on her…which is like me, actually. And you know how much he hates me."

Blossom frowned, sitting up. "Brick doesn't like her either. Well, Brick doesn't like anyone, really, as far as I can tell. There are just 'annoying' and 'less annoying' for him." She turned to us, smile on her face. "Don't worry girls. I'm sure that if I can convince Brick to do it, he'll convince the others to do it."

"One can only hope," Buttercup said, shaking her head, joining Blossom and turning to face me. If Brick is anything like Blossom, which he is, as time has told us again and again, he won't be easy to convince. None of our counterparts will be. Blossom never changed her mind about anything, except…

"Maybe we could help," I began, finally joining Blossom and Buttercup. "I mean, you two tell me often enough that my puppy-dog looks are, well, irresistible." I shot Blossom a knowing look. I did persuade Blossom to agree to work with the Rowdyruffs after all.

"You mean, you'd help me?" Blossom looked touched.

"Well, duh, Brainiac," Buttercup said, eyebrow propped up. "We're a team, aren't we?" I nodded. Where in the world did she get the idea that we wouldn't help her. I turned to smile at Buttercup when I noticed a faint sparkle across her eyelid.

Blossom smiled at us, "Well, I suppose we could do it during lunch…" I gasped, cutting whatever Blossom was going to say off. It couldn't be…could it?

"Buttercup!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Buttercup barked out, obviously annoyed at me. I could see it clearly, the dusting of green and brown eyes shadow across her lids, the rosy pink on the apples of her cheeks.

"You're, you're wearing _makeup._" Buttercup stood up to turn around, but I quickly nodded at Blossom. Within a second, a pink blur crashed into her. I hated to gang up on Buttercup, but I had to be sure. Buttercup struggled wildly under Blossom, almost throwing her off. A soft pink haze engulfed Buttercup. She sat on the floor, arms crossed over her chest, knowing trying to escape would be useless as long as Blossom was using her powers of negation.

"Oh my god!" Blossom exclaimed, "You're right!" Buttercup glowered in her direction. I quickly joined Blossom and we both leaned in for a closer look. Buttercup scowled further.

"You know, even despite the scowl, she's quite pretty, don't you think?" I remarked, earning another scowl from Buttercup.

"Okay, you two have had your _fun_," She spat, "now will you_ let me go_?" she turned her glare on Blossom.

"You're right, Bubbles!" Blossom agreed, ignoring Buttercup, causing her to groan and roll her eyes, "Oh stop being so histrionic, Buttercup. You look beautiful, especially your eyes."

"Yeah, her eyes are my favorite part!" I exclaimed. Buttercup paused, mouth open, ready to fight back.

"My…eyes?" She asked, puzzled. Did she really not see what pretty eyes she had?

"They're green!" I sighed, backing away. "I wished I had green eyes, they're so expressive!"

"Expressive?" Buttercup really didn't know how pretty she could be.

"I get what you're saying, Bubbles!" Blossom agreed, "I mean, just one look at Buttercup's eyes and you _know _what she's thinking."

"Yeah! Blue eyes are so dull. They always look so cold…like ice!"

"Well at least your eyes are normal colored! Mine are pink! _Pink!_" Blossom exclaimed, jumping away, "No one in the world has pink eyes, which makes me a genetic freak, literally." I nodded sympathetically. While I had blue eyes that resembled coldness and Blossom had pink eyes, Buttercup had gorgeous green eyes. It was easy to tell if she was angry or happy, all you had to do was look at her eyes.

Buttercup scoffed, turning her face away from us, but I could see that her cheeks had turned a slight shade pinker, "Are you two finished yet? I kind of need to cook dinner before the Professor flips a shit." She paused, "And speaking of shit, I need to take this shit off." I internally sighed. If only Buttercup wore simple make-up like this, it would make it easier for her to get a boyfriend.

"Aw, okay," I said, sounding oddly disappointed, "I mean, it's so rare to see you so…made up!" Speaking of which, how did that happen? My eyes widened as I realized that it must have been Sedusa's doing. I felt a small pinprick of respect toward her for actually managing to get Buttercup to try on make-up. No, I shook my head Sedusa must have put it on Buttercup herself. Buttercup had no idea what to do with make-up.

"And it will probably be the last time until I die." Buttercup stood up, the pink haze fading from around her. Flying up the stairs, she left the room and headed straight for the bathroom.

"That's a pity, she looked amazing," I sighed, turning toward Blossom. Blossom nodded in agreement.

"I'm really glad that we had that talk though…" Blossom murmured, smiling at me.

"Mhmm," I agreed

"Remember, you are never useless. You're a PowerPuff girl! You help save the city! Without you, there would be something missing, like...like an enzyme in a chemical reaction. Plus you keep the group together, like gravity keeps people on the earth! " Blossom exclaimed.

I giggled at the cheesy pep talk, "Okay Blossom…now I see why you have social problems…You just sound plain nerdy," I teased, nudging her with my shoulder.

"Oh shut up, you little bimbo," Blossom teased back, playfully poking me in the ribs, a smile breaking across her face.


	24. Chapter 24: Interesting Thoughts

Stphne: Hello fellow fanfiction readers and/or writers! As Miyoreos said earlier, we apologize for the _huge, mega_ delay, though I hope you are pleased with the _huge, mega_ chapters we posted. Anyways, you may have noticed that normally Miyoreos starts off this little author's note, but I've got a question for you, the readers. How important is grammar to you versus plot? Like, I have been around the fanfiction community for a number of years, and have noticed that if a plot includes vampires, werewolves, witches, and/or a number of other supernatural creatures it becomes _instantly_ popular. So, I pose to you the question of how important is grammar to you? Leave your answers in the response and no, your answers do not mean I'll slack of on the grammar. Personally, I detest using horrid grammar.

Miyoreos: Stphne's musings aside, please read and review! And we own nothing! Oh, and that (.)P thing from last time? Well, it was totally supposed to be a saluting smiley face…

Stphne: Told you she was an airhead.

Miyoreos: Hey!

* * *

A single light casted it's glow down upon a table. In a clichéd way, that table, along with four chairs, was the only thing decorating the otherwise empty space. The room was made of concrete with a sole dirty window allowing light to pass through. Or light would pass through it, were it day time.

"Why don't you dry up, okay? I don't need your advice. You're always acting like a sap." His heavy Chicago accent filled the dark room.

"Boss, I'm just tryin' to help." An equally accented voice peeped up.

"Yeah? Well, I don't need none of your stinkin' help."

"None of them Powerpuff girls know about us! We ain't getting' any press for it."

"Yeah, well they're just a buncha dumb Doras, got it? It's not like we got a fall guy…"

"Well, maybe it's a good thing?" This was a different voice than before, more baritone than the second voice, but still not as deep as the first.

"A good thing?"

"Yeah, Boss…maybe it is."

"No, no. You're all wet." He paused, rubbing his chin in thought. "Wait, what if this was a good thing!"

"Yeah?" Came the eager replies of the others.

"Yeah, we'll just treat it like a good thing! We'll get to stay out of the ice box longer while they're all balled up thinkin' 'bout who coulda done it!"

"Wow, I never thought of it that way, Boss."

"Yeah, you're really the cat's meow."

"The bee's knees!"

"The big cheese!"

"Alright, alright," the boss interrupted, "stop flappin' your gums. We gotta job to do."

* * *

Smiling coyly, I slowly approached my target. Her long, straight hair hung down her shoulders, resting upon her perfect ass. Lisa Jansen was currently at her locker, exchanging her books for other books. Reaching over her shoulder, I snagged a book out of her hand before she could put it in.

"Huh-uh, Lisa, you know what they say about work…" I trailed off, watching her reaction. Surprise flitted along her face, along with pleasure, before she settled for a cute pout. Score, I was in. I plastered a smirk on my face.

"Come on, Butch! Give me my book back!" She made a grab for the book, but I extended the book past her reach. Arching her body against mine, she struggled to get it before dropping back against the ground with a playful huff.

"All work and no play makes Lisa," I paused, flicking the end of her nose with my free hand's pointer-finger, "a dull girl."

"Butch," she whined, "I need that for homework!" Her mostly green eyes bore into mine, somehow disturbing something that rested in the back of my mind. Like something was off about the picture. That was it. Something was off, but I couldn't place it.

"Well," I said, finally snapping out of whatever the fuck my mind was doing, "I _suppose_ I could make a deal with you." Pulling the book down, but still keeping it safely out of reach, I dramatically sighed. "Go out with me tonight."

She casted her eyes downwards, giggling. "But I hardly know you!" False modestly, it's cute for now. But as for later tonight at my place…

"Hey! Who's the one with whose book hostage, here?" She smiled flirtingly, twisting a ring on her hand.

"Okay, you win. I'll go on a date with you. Is coffee after school okay with you?" Lisa turned back around to put the rest of her books in her bag. Opening my mouth, I almost agreed to the offer. Shit! Blubberass!

"No can do, sweetheart." Sensing the pout on her face, I sidled up next to her, dropping the book into her bag from over her shoulder. "I want you to be all dolled up when I take you out tonight." I whispered huskily into her ear, carefully letting the breeze of my words rub against her ear. Backing away, I ruffled my hair absentmindedly. I had to finish up soon, or else Butterbutt would have my balls.

Zipping up her bag, she turned around and gave me a half-smile. "Alright. But this better be a good date."

"I promise; best date ever." Twirling her fingers at me, she sauntered off, hips and ass swaying dangerously. Damn she was fine. Great rack _and_ ass. Almost as great as a certain other girl's that I know.

Frowning to myself, I set off in the opposite direction. Why was I thinking about her? I should be thinking how to give the "best date ever" I so stupidly promised Lisa in my haste to leave, yet I couldn't get Buttercup out of my head.

No matter how much I dislike her, I have to admit that she did have a nice set up going on for her. While I jokingly call her sister 'Curves', really Buttercup has the better figure. She is strong but not to a manly point, while still soft where it counted, like ass and boobs. Really, she had it going for her. Now if only her attitude wasn't so 'fuck men, with the amount of sperm banks on this continent alone we could totally wipe out the current population of men and set up a female-dominated hierarchy instead'.

Finally reaching the doors, I spotted the object of my thoughts waiting for me. A glance at my watch told me I was a little early. Well we can't have that, can we? I calmly leaned against a column, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on in my head because obviously something was screwed up if I was thinking about anything but trying to punch Buttercup's face in.

"Hey bro," Brick said, punching me light enough on the shoulder to grab my attention, "you ready for the confrontation with Sedusa?"

I groaned at the thought. The woman was fucking creepy. I remember her looking pretty good somewhere around 13 years ago, but that was thirteen-fucking years! No way could anyone still look that good.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, casting a glance outside the doors at my counterpart. Wait, Brick's _supposedly_ the smart one of us three maybe he'll know what's wrong with me. "Hey Brick, I have something I wanna ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I think there might be something wrong with my head or something because," I glanced down at my watch, trying to figure out how to put it. Wait. 3:20? Holy fucking shit. I was late. "Shit! Never mind, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, man, or something." Surging forward, I burst through the glass doors and tumbled into a now-sitting Buttercup. We groaned before recognizing that it was indeed the very person we were looking for.

"Yo! Hey, Buttercup! Fancy meeting you here!"

"We were supposed to _meet_ here five minutes ago, dipshit."

"Oh, right. Guess that explains that…" Seriously, Butch? What the fuck is up with you today? Where are the witty comebacks, the stinging one-liners? Step it up! Cool indifference. "Shall we go?"

Buttercup glanced up at me oddly. I noticed her unusual green eyes were vivid for reasons other than their color. "Whatever, 19th century man, gonna ask to fucking help me up, too?" she scoffed, standing up without waiting to see if I'd do it. Ouch.

"Just trying to be fucking proper…"I muttered.

"Yeah, well stop. It's actually starting to scare the shit out of me." She shuddered before fixing me with her stare again. "You ready?"

"Tell, you what, I'll give you a head start."

"You're going to so fucking regret that." She said before she was nothing more than a green trail. Shaking myself out in attempt to get out of whatever the hell shit-filled mood I was in, I quickly took chase after her. Like I was going to let her, of all people, win.

* * *

I frowned as Bubbles landed near a building that screamed the words 'Ken's Hair Emporium'. I glanced across the road, where the mall lay. First Bubbles changes her mind about where we should conduct our investigation, and now she takes me to a hair salon? I glanced at the innocent-looking girl beside me. No way was she up to something devious.

"This isn't the mall," I stated obviously. Taking another glance at the mall behind us, I trained my eyes on Bubbles.

"I know, but I thought we could just stop by and talk to Ken. He'll know if any of his customers at affected by the potion," she replied happily, opening the door and strolling in. The fragrance of the place hit me in the face as I winced from all the stimulation. I saw Bubbles inhale happily, slightly disturbed at how happy she seemed here. Personally, I can't stand fragrance. The perfume of all these products just seems so fake, nothing like the natural smells they attempt to mimic.

I glanced into the salon full of apprehension, internally listing my choices: me, outside alone while Bubbles goes in and possibly face her disappointment; or me, in there with all that…_smell_ and a happy Bubbles. Watching the girl in front of me, I saw her spin around a look at me expectantly.

"Boomer, the salon isn't going to swallow you whole. Come inside."

Option two it is then…

Trudging forward, I held the door open while Bubbles skipped in happily. "Bubbles?" A voice from inside the fragrance-pit called, "Is that your gorgeous voice I hear?" A bubbly man popped up from basically nowhere and beamed at Bubbles. I peered through the beads behind him, curious as to what tortures lay behind there. Meanwhile, I heard Bubbles talking to the man, but didn't pay attention as I was more concerned with what was going on back there. If there was ever a time for x-ray vision…

A hand startled me out of my thoughts as I was clasped on the shoulder. "Well hey there Boomer! Bubbles was _just_ telling me you were looking to get a haircut!"

"What? No, not really,"

"Fabulous!" Ken sang, "Well, just sit down right here. Come on, sit, sit!" He patted the vinyl seat invitingly. I glanced at Bubbles, who just gave me two thumbs up and possibly the creepiest smile I've ever seen. Well, if Bubbles isn't too concerned…I sat on the chair, the slight squeak of vinyl resonated in me awkwardly. What was I doing?

Suddenly my head was pushed backwards as my hair was assaulted by warm, sudsy water. I spluttered as some water hit my face, making my glasses bleary and wet. What was going on? Feeling myself being up righted, I bolted out of the chair.

Before I knew where I was, let alone what was happening, I felt myself being led to another chair where I was pressured to sit down. I felt large hands remove my glasses causing the world to become even more blurry. Feeling a cloth being draped over me, I glanced at the blob I assumed was Bubbles in the mirror, "Uh…Bubbles?" I asked hesitantly, "How exactly does this help with our investigation?"

"It doesn't," She replied casually. "A haircut if the first step of your make-over." I felt my jaw drop. What? When did I agree to a make-over? The realization that she tricked me into doing this washed over me. Why would she do this? "But while Ken is doing this, he'll give us information, right?"

"Of course!" Ken exclaimed, his voice right next to my ear. I jumped startled by his closeness. "Chatting helps me get the feel of the customer's personality, which helps me find the perfect haircut for them!" I froze, my mind blocking out the rest of his speech. Haircut? Finally all his actions registered in my head. The hair washing, the taking of my glasses, the scissors and comb in his hands…it all made perfect sense. They were going to actually cut my hair.

I glanced around bewildered. I had been growing it out specifically because Brick always looked so awesome with his hair, and Butch's hair was way too difficult to maintain. He was practically getting haircuts all the time! I barely noticed the locks of blond hair falling around my face onto the floor and I certainly didn't hear the sharp snips as the scissors cut away at my locks nor did I feel the hands as they rearranged my newly cropped stands. "And I am…finished!" The loud exclamation broke me out of my thoughts.

Grabbing at the pair of glasses which were shoved in my face, miraculously dry from their previous abuse, I glanced in the mirror. I was spun around. Bubbles gasped, causing me to look past her into the mirror on the far-side of the room. Was that…me? I looked at my reflection doubtfully. It blinked when I did and if I moved my left arm, he moved his right. So it had to have been me, right?

I looked at the blond locks carefully. A portion of my hair now swept across my forehead as the rest was artfully tousled. It was like a mix between Butch and Brick's hairstyles. Not quite as long as Brick's red hair, but longer than Butch's hair. I shook my head experimentally. A swoosh was heard as my hair brushed over my ears. That was going to take some getting used to, though it wasn't necessarily a bad noise. Just…different.

Suddenly I was yanked up from my chair, hearing Bubbles say something about leaving, but not yet comprehending. I followed her around, too dazed to actually do anything but follow as she paid some money and left the store, seemingly very pleased. And suddenly I had a bad feeling about the mall; a very bad feeling indeed.

* * *

Jesus! What the fuck was taking her so long! I pulled another leaf off the bush next to me with the intention of adding it to the pile of its shredded brethren who lay defeated at my feat. Currently, I was sitting behind a group of randomly large bushes, as per directed by Butterbitch.

Wait, what did I care? I scowled inwardly at myself. I should be planning on how to get into Lisa's pants. Maybe I could take her to that Jazz bar Brick told me about. He said it had class…I looked at the shredded leaf in my hand, shrugging indifferently as I let them go.

The pieces were gently floating downward when I heard the sound of a door opening. Sucking in air, I quickly blew it out, scattering the evidence of what I had been doing to pass the time. I watched the last leaf piece scurry out of sight just as a sharp high pitched tone whizzed next to me, gasping for air. "Jesus, Buttercup, what took so long?" I stood up, eyes closed, intending to stretch and pop my joints back in place.

"I don't wanna talk about it." I opened my eyes, stretching done. She stood in front of me with a scowl across her face

"Seriously, you were gone for ages!" Her scowl worsened, which, now that I'm thinking about it, seemed more refined than normal. Huh, weird. "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing," she replied, suddenly more tense before turning around and walking away.

"Seriously, something looks…different." I persevered. After all, they always tell you to never give up at school, why should other aspects of life not apply as well?

"It's nothing." She refused to look at me and marched determinedly somewhere.

"But your face…" I trailed off, sensing something snapping in her.

She spun to face me, "I told you it was nothing so shut the fuck up!" The light came out from behind a cloud as it lit up her face. Literally, parts of her face sparkled. I watched her watch the realization that filled my face.

"You're wearing makeup." I said, smugly.

"Shut up." Buttercup replied, half-heartedly.

"You, Buttercup Utonium, are wearing makeup." A sudden though crossed my mind. A devious, horrible thought, "The boys on the team will never believe this." I laughed, thinking about their reactions. I could see it now: "No way? Butchy-Buttercup in makeup? What a riot!"

"Let's just get home."

I watched her walk away. She was maybe a step or two in front of me, so this was possible. Then the realization came over me that she had to be a little uncomfortable. Makeup for her was definitely outside the comfort zone and goddamn if I've learned one thing while sleeping in psychology during the past two years, it's that people have comfort zones. "You look nice, you know?" I offered, as a symbol of peace that I wouldn't make fun of her for being girly just once in her life. It remained silent.

Okay, peace _not_ accepted.

My thoughts turned to Sedusa. Well, she _sounded_ pretty hot, maybe her superpowers include not aging. I've seen weirder shit happen. "So was she hot?"

* * *

I stared at the creature before me, confused beyond belief. It blinked at me continuously while somehow simultaneously gazing at me from under its thick, black lashes while it scanned a few items. I casually glanced between Bubbles and the _thing. _How could they be a part of the same gender?

"Bye! Come again!" It said, blinking quickly while wiggling its fingers. I stared at it confused before refocusing.

"Okay, so that wasn't the sales clerk we were looking for either…where to next?"

Bubbles, spying a floor map a couple of feet away, stopped to examine it, "This way!" She exclaimed before moving confidently away. I sighed, turning to follow her when a crinkle drew my attention. In front of me, Bubbles was carrying two rather largish paper bags. I looked at them, confused. When had she bought anything?

"Sure, but Bubbles?" I called out, stopping. She turned to face me with a soft 'hm' coming from her lips, "Why do you have shopping bags?" I asked before revising my question, "Actually, no…what in the world did you buy at a men's clothing store?" My heart was beating fast. The idea of Bubbles buying men's clothing…could she have another boyfriend? I mean, it was entirely possible she was buying for the Professor, but we hadn't exactly gone into his type of store…actually most of them were young people's stores.

"Well I had to buy some stuff at stores…otherwise people would get suspicious," she explained. "And they aren't for me, they're for you."

I raised my eyebrow, "For me?" Suddenly I couldn't help but question just what was going on here…

"Well you seriously don't think I would buy men's clothing for myself, do you?" I frowned, looking away and crossing my arms, mostly out of embarrassed about my thoughts. I mean, why should I care if Bubbles had another boyfriend…we're just friends. Although, maybe I was concerned as a friend…yeah, I was concerned as a friend because she had just broken up with Jacques…

"Seriously Boomer, you'll thank me for it later! I'm just fulfilling the promise I made to you the other day." I heard her blow out air. Probably in frustration.

Wait…what? "Promise?" I asked, giving her a confused look. What the heck was she…and then it hit me. Promise. Her promise on how she'd make it so girls liked me. I didn't really think I needed it anymore…I mean I thought Bubbles liked me. "Oh…that promise," was what I said instead.

"Yes, that promise," she confirmed with a head nod, "now let's go!"

"Sure, but first, let's stop by the food court." I could feel my stomach getting hungry and Bubbles did promise…

"Boomer, we don't have that much time," I could hear the desperation in her tone as I felt my resolve weaken.

"You owe me a pretzel." I argued lamely. I saw her resolve weaken, only to completely collapse as my stomach decided to make its state of hunger known. I felt myself lightly blush, but couldn't help but revel in the soft giggle Bubbles made in response.

"Okay, you've made your point. Let's go get you a pretzel." I happily took the lead, the smell of food telling me where to go. The mall opened up to a massive food court. I smiled happily, the smell of food wafting through the air to my nose. I heard a loud plop as Bubbles put her bags down.

"You stay here while I go get your snack. What do you want?"

"Um," I paused briefly, thinking about what I wanted, "a plain jalapeno pretzel with a vitamin water."

"Be right back." Bubbles said with a smile. I sat down on the bench, watching people drift by my spot. Suddenly someone approached me. Expecting Bubbles, I turned my head up, smiling. It suddenly cut off as I saw Princess' two friends approaching fast, their eyes locked on me.

Now, I suppose that they were attractive. I mean, in the same way that Hollywood movie stars like Megan Fox were. Obviously, they weren't as good looking as Megan Fox, but in the same super obvious way Princess' two friends were pretty. It's rumored that they've slept with every boy at the high school who's moderately attractive. I wasn't counted among that group, but I know for sure that Brick and Butch were. In fact I think Butch 'dated' Henrietta for a while in the 9th grade…but that was before she became one-half of Princess' shadow.

"So…what's your name?" I felt Henrietta slide onto the bench, her thigh pressing against mine firmly. The smell of her designer perfume hit my nostrils hard. I scooted away slightly.

"Hey Henrietta, it's Boomer." I replied, awkwardly. How could she not know me? I was in every one but two of her classes. She scooted closer causing her body to be pressed against my arm.

I scooted away farther from her, uncomfortable with her closeness, where I was met by another body, "Boomer?" I heard a cry of shock come from behind me. Spinning in my seat, I realized that while Henrietta was talking to me, Bridgetta had sat down on the other side, effectively stopping my escape.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, wondering what was taking Bubbles so long.

"Well, I love your new hair." Henrietta said, pressing her body against me again and blinking rapidly. Maybe she has something stuck in them…?

"You look so hot," Bidgetta commented as well, "I think you might even be hotter than Butch." She grabbed my arm, her fingers moving up and down it while she gazed up at me.

Maybe they're friends of Bubbles? Well, they were never really mean to me, so I suppose I should be nice. I blushed, smiling awkwardly at the compliment. "You definitely have a cuter smile than Butch or Brick," Henrietta complimented, tugging on my arm like a child while her voice took on an odd tone.

"T-thanks," I stuttered, surprised at all the compliments. Prior to this they had spoken one, maybe two words with me? "I never knew Brick smiled…" I blushed harder, desperately searching the area for Bubbles. Where was she?

Suddenly my eye was drawn by a large guy standing up from a table of equally large men. "Yo, Bubbles!" I heard him say. Looking in that direction, I saw Bubbles near the pretzel place. Glancing back at the guy, I recognized him as Ben Hayes, the quarter back of our football team. I heard her greet him.

Naturally, I wasn't too into sports. It was more of Butch's thing. But in addition to fighting with Buttercup about everything, Butch also hated Ben. Maybe it was because their respective sports-captain position caused them to be super competitive, but Butch just hated Ben. So naturally, as soon as I recognized him I bristled. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was currently flirting with Bubbles.

"Boomer, you are just _too cute_." I head Bridgetta whisper in my ear, her body sufficiently stuck to mine. I felt her hands run through my hair, each finger carving its own path through my locks. I looked at her questioningly, the tiniest bit frightened. Okay what was going on here? Normally Bridgetta avoided me like I was diseased…same with Henrietta, too.

"How are you, babe?" Ben slung his arm over Bubbles shoulders casually. I felt myself stiffen ever so slightly, not that Bridgetta noticed.

"Ooh, Boomer!" I heard Henrietta exclaim as she clutched onto my bicep, tugging on it to get my attention back, "Have you been working out?" Bubbles giggle rang out across the food court at me. Except this time it didn't enchant me, wanting me to give into anything she wanted. This time it made me feel bad, like I was on the last level of Gears of War and out of ammo. I heard Henrietta clear her throat, while Bubbles slipped out from underneath his arm. Suddenly I was free.

"Oh, sorry Henrietta," I said quickly, "I'm really hungry…but no…I mean I've always been this way." I frowned lightly.

"How come we never noticed you before, Boomer?" Bridgetta whined, pouting. Distracted, I noticed Ben asking Bubbles if she was going to the game.

"Uh, I don't know." I replied, missing Bubbles answer.

"You're not paying attention to us…" Henrietta pouted, her fingers tracing my bicep while Bridgetta began stroking my neck.

Suddenly Ben lifted Bubbles chin up to look at him. I saw Bubbles eyes brighten and shimmer. I felt a great sense of disgust wash over me, and unsure of why, I threw myself into my conversation. Hey, if Bubbles can have a good time, why can't I? Thinking back in my head, I pulled out something I heard my brother use once. "Of course I am. How could I not pay attention to two such beautiful ladies when they're talking to me?" Wait…was that right?

Collective giggles came out of their mouths as Bridgetta moved her hands once again into my freshly-cut hair. "Boomer, you're too funny!" Henrietta laughed, her finger running down my chest. I felt a tight squeeze there, causing me to look down in shame. Shame of what, I don't know.

"Hey sorry I took so long!" I heard a voice cheerfully call from above me. I looked up, relief spreading through me as well as guilt.

I heard them gasp, their hands suddenly disappearing. "Bubbles," they cried together.

"Oh, hi Bridgetta, Henrietta, am I interrupting something?" She asked sweetly. My chest tightened, the guilty feeling spreading throughout. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I mean, Bubbles was having fun…I was just having the same kind of fun she was having.

"Well it was nice talking to you Boomer," Henrietta began, ignoring Bubbles and winking at me.

"But we have to go now," Bridgetta finished for her with a small finger wiggle. The two sauntered away, hips swaying. I felt the feeling leave with them

"Oh Boomer, you look so hot!" Bubbles said in a high-pitched voice, sitting down on the bench next to me.

"Cut it out Bubbles…" I muttered, turning a bright red while the feeling returned. Grabbing my arm, I attempted to ignore the feeling, nudging Bubbles playfully.

I took a swing of my drink, watching the crowd in front of me but focusing on the feel of her sitting so close to me. "Oh come on, you must have enjoyed it a little bit," I felt her gently hit my arm, smiling up at me.

"And we're leaving right now." I said suddenly. Capping my drink, I stood up. Whatever Bubbles was doing right there…it was too close to whatever Bridgetta and Henrietta were doing, though this time my chest felt fine. In fact, it almost felt a little warm, like a fire on a cool fall day, and my heart was beating faster. I glanced down at my chest, almost positive you could see it trying to beat through my shirt.

"Are you sure? You seem to be getting a lot of attention here," Bubbles said teasingly.

"Yeah, you seem to be getting a lot of attention too…" I muttered quietly, glancing in the direction of Ben Hayes.

"What?" Bubbles asked innocently. The guilty feeling returned, driving away whatever warmth I had.

"Nothing, let's just go," I replied, bending down to get the shopping bags.

"Okay," Bubbles replied, sounding confused. I passed by her, happening to inhale at just the right time being as I caught her sent and, for the first time, I wasn't repulsed by a girl. Bubbles smelled of daisies and sunshine and I realized I wanted to do whatever I could just on the off chance I'd get to smell her again. Normally this wouldn't freak me out, but going through my mind, I came to the realization I couldn't remember a single time in my life where I'd be content just to hang around someone in the off-chance I'd get to smell them again.

And that scared me.

* * *

I glanced at Blossom as we sat in the cold lab of her father-figure. He had sectioned off a small space in the back where Blossom and I could work on finding out how the potion was affecting people because he believes if he knows how it works, it will be that much easier to find a way to block that.

Seeing her immersed in her microscope, I noticed how vivid her hair was. It stood out vibrantly against the plain white fabric of the borrowed coats her father gave us. Her hair was long – well, it has always been long – but it now reached her hips, accentuating her gentle curves. It tumbled and fell without break down her back, gleaming despite the horrid florescent-quality of the lighting. My eyes widened sharply. Did I really just think _poetry _about Blossom's _hair_? I briskly turned back to my own microscope.

Blossom huffed in annoyance, "Nothing is working!"

"Excuse me?" I pulled away from my microscope again, sighing in relief that she didn't catch me.

She spun her stool to face me, "None of the samples the Professor provided us with are compatible!"

"What are you talking about? Shouldn't they all be compatible?"

"Well, they aren't reacting! And we can't _look_ at the cells if _they aren't infected_!"

"Wait, the potion _isn't working_ on the Professor's cells?" When we had started, we opted to use the cells of the Professor as he was the only non-super powered being on the team. Carefully, we extracted small vials of his blood to introduce to various amounts of the new batch of potion the Professor had made.

"No! Not at all! The potion just kind of, floats around the blood, not mixing." Huh. Interesting.

"Did you dilute it with water?" Blossom gave me a withering look, "Okay just making sure…" I trailed off. "Maybe the Professor forgot to do something? Maybe this batch is defective due to the fact that he made this one much quicker?"

Blossom sighed, slumping her usual perfect posture into one of defeat, "That might be…oh this is hopeless!"

"Maybe we can just get a sample from someone who's been affected."

Blossom visibly brightened at this, "Yeah! We could just extract a couple of vials from Sebastian or Chris and…"

"Wait, no we can't. Seb is trypanophobic and Chris is hemophobic. Like, if Seb sees a needle he freaks out and Chris can't look at blood without wanting to puke."

"Crap. Well, maybe you can talk to your brothers to see if they have anyone who is affected and I'll ask my sisters…gosh everything is just so…so…"

"Hey," I said, awkwardly putting my hand on her back, because that's what you're supposed to do in situations like this, right? "We'll figure this out. There's got to be a way to get out of this." Blossom looked up at me, surprised. Quickly I withdrew my hand, feeling I had overstepped a boundary of sorts. "Not that I uh, care for the citizens or anything. Just to, you know, get you guys off our case about being suspects and what not…" Okay now I'm just being really awkward.

"You're right though," Blossom stated quietly, "There is an answer out there and we just have to keep trying." She looked at me again, her slightly pink lips curved upwards in a smile, "Thanks for reminding me of that, Brick. I had almost forgotten." We sat in silence, looking at each other, before I coughed, realizing that I had effectively just stared at the girl I hated for about a minute without thinking anything. _Anything_.

"Well, uh, I don't think there's anything else to do today. Not without that sample. Nope." Blossom stated loudly, awkwardly, if I do say so myself. Her cheeks were slightly pink and I scrambled to try and figure out if it was a true, honest-to-god blush or just makeup.

"Alright. I suppose I'll just head home then."

"Yep. Nothing else here. No, sir, nothing else to do." I glanced at her cheeks, which were still rosy in color. Do blushes last this long? _Can_ they last this long? Maybe it _is_ just makeup. I made a mental note in my head to figure out if Blossom wore blush.

"So I'll see you later, I guess…" I grabbed my bag off the pristine while tiles and headed up the stairs.

"Yeah. Later!" I heard her call from behind me. Walking past the couch, I noticed Bubbles lounging on it reading a magazine. Unwittingly catching her attention, I nodded an acknowledgment before moving towards the door.

"Oh hey!" She called out, setting her magazine down, "I didn't know you were still here or else I would have told Boomer to wait…" she pouted, thinking before making a noise. "Poo. Now he's all alone at your house…"

"Don't worry too much about him. He's used to it by now." I shrugged, "I think he rather likes his alone time."

"Oh, okay." She giggled, almost like she knew something I didn't. This thought troubled me greatly, causing me to frown. "Have a safe trip home!"

"Yeah…" I trailed off, suspicious, "thanks."

* * *

The smell of male B.O. filled the air. Inhaling deeply, I surveyed my, being as I am captain, domain. I had finished with my post-practice routine was preparing to duck out.

"Hey Butch, how was your date tonight?" One of the guys in the back snickered and a distant high-five could be heard.

I glared at him, "You fucker! Why the hell didn't you tell me she was a fucking subscriber to that bullshit purity-ring thing?" The entire locker room filled with laughter.

"Oh ha-fucking-ha. You're all fuckers, you know that, right?" The laughter continued, "You really want something to laugh about?" The noise, for the most part, died down, though the activities of after-practice showering and general changing continued, "Guess what I saw?"

"Lisa's titanium chastity belt right before she kicked you out of the car?" The laughter filled the room again.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, but none of you mother fuckers saw Butterbitch in makeup." Suddenly the room fell silent. Showers were shut off and the radio was muted. Hell yes. That's what I thought. Butch: 1 Rest of the Team: 0.2 "That's what I thought. Who's got the last laugh now."

"Wait…you _saw _her? With your own eyes?"

"With these very fucking eyes in my head." The sound of feet approached me. Turning around, I saw one of my teammates who had just gotten out of the shower in front of me.

"You, sir," my fellow teammate said to me, clasping me on the shoulder, "truly live a privileged life."

"_What?_" I said in disbelief, pushing him away. "And put some fucking clothes on if you're going to touch me."

"Luckiest man alive," the voice of another teammate to my left declared.

"You guys actually _like _her?"

"I'd give my left testicle to see her in makeup."

"Butch, she plays every sport, is feisty, and has a fucking amazing body. What do you think?" A murmur went throughout the room.

"I'm surprised Butch hasn't tried to tap that." More murmurs followed the statement.

"Dude, Buttercup is way too classy and smart for a skeeze like Butch." Wait, what is this? Attack Butch day? I glanced around the room trying to find who said that so I could pummel them into tomorrow.

"Hey, you don't see me complaining. Gives all us other men a freakin' chance!" I stopped my search. A couple of guys yelled out in general agreement. Okay, maybe I'll let him live today. Shaking my head, I turned to close my locker when one last comment had me pausing in my tracks.

"You know, I'd plow that if she hadn't washed in two days. No. Make that a whole fucking week!" The guys burst out in applause, a loud 'amen, brother!' could be heard above the general noise. And suddenly, I was filled with the urge to beat all their faces in.

* * *

Today was the single day of the week I actually had to do something other than work at my part time job. I used to look forward to this day every week because I had finally won something over Blossom. That's right. Blossom may have been my co-president in all other activities, but here in the chemistry club, we were in my territory.

I remember the sweet day that the club chose me over her. I can't remember what it was that made me win, perhaps the lack of female club members, but the look on her face when they announced me as president was priceless. It was easily the best day of my life. But she didn't quit the club, which on some level, I recognized and respected. Probably that's the thing about Blossom I can most easily admire, her tenaciousness.

Standing at the front of the small science lab, I surveyed the room. We had about six club members, two of which, excluding Blossom, were girls.

"Okay guys, so today I know I said we were going to create liquid magnets using Ferrofluid and then study the multiple uses of it, but one of the science teachers accidentally used the kerosene we had bought for one of his experiments." A general groan went throughout the group. "But he said we were allowed to use any of his supplies in his office and he's really sorry about all of this."

"Is it Mr. Moore?" A boy in a baggy sweatshirt asked, "Because he has that really cool model scale of the solar system that…"

"No, Carl, it was Mr. Jasper." I truly never understood why Carl had even joined chemistry club. His interest in the actual chemistry of chemistry was at a minimal and truly, the only things he wanted to do was a) blow stuff up or b) invade the whichever teacher's room we were using's privacy. I took a glance back at Blossom, who was staring bored at the wall.

"Mr. Jasper!" One of the three girls, more specifically Janine, cried, "Isn't he the one that does all the blood tests for those kids who get suspended?"

"Wait, what?" I asked. When kids get suspended they have to get blood drawn?

"Yeah, like, if you get an out of school suspension the school automatically draws your blood to see if you've doing drugs."

"Is that even legal?" Carl sneered.

"How should I know?" Janine returned, "If I wanted to know the legality of it I would have joined the Student Rights club, not chemistry club, dummy."

A large noise filled the room as Blossom suddenly shoved her chair back, breaking up the fight. "Uh, Brick, I just remembered I was supposed to tell you something from the um, Student Council Advisor. Can I talk to you outside?" I frowned, confused. I had just talked with that advisor three minutes ago. What could she possibly have wanted between then and now that she told Blossom about? Seeing my confused face, Blossom coughed and raised her eyebrows, discreetly nodding towards the door.

Oh. Right. Potion business.

"Uh yeah, sure." I awkwardly trudged out the door, Blossom hurrying after me.

Once the door was firmly shut, she turned to me, excited. "Brick, did you hear what Janine said?"

"That they test the blood of kids who get out of school suspension? Yeah, though I think that's a little extreme…I wonder why Butch never said anything to me about it."

"No!" She sighed, exasperated. "Use your brain! Think!" She said, hitting me lightly on the forehead. Okay, what the hell was going on? Blossom, realizing what she had done was really weird, awkwardly shuffled her feet. "If he takes blood samples and analyzes them, then he must have the tools to tell us what the blood contains!"

"Yeah, so…?"

"So if we can get the Professor's blood samples over here and test them against someone who's been infected, we can see what the differences are, why the Professor's immune to the potion and be that much closer to finding a cure!"

"Right, that's a good plan, but we don't have either of the blood samples on us."

"Well, I can go home real quick and get the Professor's blood. Meanwhile, see if you can find anyone in the club who's been affected." I nodded, the plan seeming solid. Blossom turned and began to jog towards the doors at the end of the hall.

"Alright. Meet you back here in ten minutes?"

Turning her head to look at me over her shoulder, she winked. "Make that five," she replied before throwing the doors open and taking off into the air. I stood in the hall for a bit after she left, an odd feeling resounding in my chest. Rubbing my arm, I turned to go back into the room.

"You and Blossom sure looked real friendly there, Brick." Carl remarked gesturing towards the small window next to the door. Shit. I forgot that was there. Even though hearing our conversation had to have been impossible, the fact that he saw me acting friendly with Blossom, the likes of whom I would have never conversed with two weeks ago, set me on edge.

"Shut up, Carl. You're just jealous because Brick got to her first."

"Yeah, well you weren't doing any better than I was, Edmund."

Janine wrinkled her nose, "You guys were _hitting_ on her this whole time? Like, that's totally nasty. She thinks she's so much better than all of us." I turned my head, following the conversation.

"I don't understand boys at all," Cynthia, the other girl of Chemistry club, said shaking her head, "Like, it just feels like she's forced to condescend to our level just to talk to us."

"But she's so pretty! Who cares what she acts like as long as she looks like that!" Wait, what? I reeled in disgust of his words. Sure, Blossom was beautiful, but that's not there was to her. She was smart and kind in her own ways.

"Okay guys, that's enough." I said, attempting to regain control over the group.

"That's so typical of you, Carl. She's such a major ice-queen."

"Enough!" I exclaimed, glaring at the group, "Blossom is a fellow-club member and we will not engage in such acts against someone who participates in this club just as much as the rest of us if not more than you do. She's actually a very nice person if you guys would just get to know her instead of immediately thinking she is who she acts like on the television or just judging her on your first impression of her. She is shy, get it? That's why she doesn't talk much."

The room was silent as they hopefully reflected on their words. I let them sit in silence for a while, the awkward tenseness of a scolding prominent in the atmosphere of the group. "So," I began, trying to think of the best way to figure out if anyone has drank the water from the fountains recently, "does the water taste funny to you guys?"

Prior to class on Monday, Blossom and I had gone around sticking out of order signs on the water fountains in attempts to lower the amount of people drinking from them. If it had been any of our siblings, especially Butch or Buttercup, the school would have torn the signs down. But being as it was me and Blossom, the two student council presidents, they figured something was up with the water fountains and left it alone.

"Nope, haven't had any in a while."

"My mom is crazy about paramecium, so I haven't drunk any water from fountains since I was five."

"Aren't all the fountains out of order around the school?" asked Edmund, "Maybe that's why it tastes funny."

"Huh. Maybe…"I answered uncommitted. Shit. No one in the club has drunk the town water recently. How are we supposed to get a blood sample now?

The door opened and Blossom entered the room, slightly out of breath. "Hey, sorry. I had to go get something from my locker quickly." I felt the eyes of everyone in the room oscillate between us.

"Well, um, so I have nothing else for us to do today. So I guess we can just go home then…" I trailed off, making eye contact with Blossom. She looked at me confused as the rest of the club filed out of the room behind Blossom. I rolled my eyes as Carl passed behind Blossom, thrusting his hips and mouthing the words "Yeah boy" to me before exiting.

You know, now that I think about it, Carl only signed up after Blossom did. I shoved my hands in my pocket, the idea repulsing me beyond all words, while I internally frowned. What was happening to me? First I start acting naturally civil to Blossom and now I'm getting protective of her?

"Why did you let them all go? How are we supposed to get their blood now?"

I shrugged, looking away. "No one has recently partaken in the fantastic water the Townsville water treatment plant supplies us with."

Blossom sighed, slumping in her seat before pulling out a vial filled with a thick red liquid and setting it on the desk. "Well, I guess I can go store this vial in the Chemistry Club refrigerator then." I nodded, thinking. The only people my brothers and I were friends with were Sebastian and Chris, both of whom wouldn't give us their blood willingly. Blossom returned to the room and sat down again.

"Neither my brothers nor I know any affected people, aside from Seb and Chris." I saw Blossom frown.

"Well, I don't know anyone either and Bubbles said that the only person she knew who was affected was her ex-boyfriend, Jacques. But I don't really want her to have to talk to that creep." I nodded in understanding. I had heard from the gossip web that it was a really messy break-up between them, to say the least.

"Have you talked to Buttercup about it?"

Blossom sighed, "She's been so distant recently. Like, she used to talk about her friends on the team or her one of her best friends, Mitch, but now she just reports to me like I'm some drill sergeant, not her sister." She laughed awkwardly, "God, I suck at socializing. You probably don't care about any of this!"

"No, it's okay. It's nice to know that I'm not the only person in the world with a screwed up relationship with their siblings." I paused, unsure of what I was doing. She laughed, grabbing the vials.

"Shall we go put this in the fridge?" She exited from behind the desk, scooting the chair in behind her.

Striding to the door, I opened it with a pompous flourish, "After you, my lady."

Blossom played along, curtsying before walking through, "Thank you, good sir." We walked down the hall in silence towards the location of the chemistry refrigerator. It was an impossible thing to find unless someone had brought you there before. Upon finding out we had one I took the liberty of visiting the refrigerator. Unfortunately, it was a barely working ancient machine which hadn't been used in sometime. But fortunately my job as a mechanic paid off and I was able to mostly repair it so it could actually be used for storing things.

Blood, though, is a tricky thing. If one waits too long, it separates. As such, I was worried about storing it for extended amounts of time, even just half a day. "Is your sister in practice?"

Blossom glanced at her watch, frowning. "No, she would have just ended it."

"Do you think you could go talk to her about if she knows anyone who's infected while I put the blood in the fridge?"

"Yeah, sure." Blossom replied, handing the vials over to me. I tensed as our hands accidentally made contact. Just the slightest of brushes, really, but it felt so foreign it felt more significant than it should have been. "It makes the most sense, after all." She turned on her heels and started jogging the opposite direction, towards the athletics field. I sighed as I watch her back retreat, the vials still cool from being in the refrigerator at the Utonium lab.

I really have figure out what was going on with my body.


	25. Chapter 25: Chemistry Secrets

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: Hey guys! So we're really sorry that it took us so long to update this story and we hope that you guys are still enjoying it.

Stphne: Now we have gotten some reviews and messages asking if we were having writer's block or whatnot. Let me assure you, we had none of these problems; we were just really busy with reality.

Miyoreos1023: Yeah…We don't really have time to just sit around and type stories, not to mention Stphne and I are no longer in the same city and we have different schedules, so it's really hard for us to get together and discuss what happens next.

Stphne: not to worry, we finally met up again during winter break and we have the rest of the story all planned out! We just have to write it out for you guys!

Miyoreos1023: So enjoy chapter 25, R and R and hope to update soon!

Stphne: and a reminder, DISCLAIMER: WE OWN NOTHING…except Tina and Gina, Seb and Chris

* * *

"Now, Jacques doesn't normally have the kind of funds to buy out the entire stock of the gel, so it had to have been someone with major bucks…" I trailed off, there was something about bucks and Jacques though, and I frowned trying to figure it out.

"Bucks…bucks…Princess!" I exclaimed as it suddenly hit me.

"Princess?" Buttercup and Bubbles questioned at the same time.

"Yes! Princess Morbucks. Princess has money, we know she does. And Jacques is her recently acquired beau. Princess has always been infamous for showering which ever boy has caught her attention with gifts." I explained, recalling the times she showered each of her boyfriends with gifts.

Bubbles gasped, "Like his locker!"

"His locker?" Buttercup questioned, "How the crap is that a gift?"

"Princess has been after Jacques for a long time, ever since he became my boyfriend in fact." Bubbles recounted, her face melting into a state of bliss, "I never told you guys because, well, I just didn't think it was important. You know, if you two ever got boyfriends she'd probably go after them too…" She trailed off, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Bubbles!" I called briskly, dragging her from her thoughts, "Focus!"

"Sorry!" she squeaked, "Anyways, at the beginning of this year Jacques was assigned locker 239 and he expressed displeasure with it. I guess Princess must have been behind us because on the first day of school Jacques got called to the office and they told him he got moved to locker number two!"

"Two?" Buttercup asked, "I would have expected number one."

Bubbles shook her head, "Nope, two. Princess couldn't give up number one, now could she?"

I nodded in agreement. Princess loved herself too much to give up her locker.

"Well, girls, I think we've found our next suspect: Princess."

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed, "she had everything, resources to hack our securities and motive."

"Motive? I know she hates us, but how could her stealing that potion help?" Bubbles asked. I rolled my eyes at her apparent lack of logic.

"Bubbles," I said, giving her a meaningful look, "just think about it."

"Oh," Bubbles's eyes widened and her mouth dropped to form a small O. "Oh!" She repeated.

"Yeah," Buttercup said, "exactly."

"So she knew that Jacques would eventually drink water so she put the potion in the water supply so she could get Jacques and therefore hurt us!" Bubbles confirmed.

"Exactly," I said, nodding.

"But Princess won't exactly talk to us…" Bubbles commented, twirling a blonde strand of hair around her forefinger. Buttercup frowned.

Bubbles did have a point. I could almost hear Princess's sneering lisp demanding to know why we would care about her whereabouts.

"Maybe," Buttercup started out before biting her lip, "maybe we could use the boys to do it?"

"But how would we convince them?" Bubbles asked, "Boomer hates Princess!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Butch dislikes her too. I mean, he doesn't even try to hit on her…which is like me, actually. And you know how much he hates me."

I frowned, sitting up. This can't be good. If Butch and Boomer hated Princess that left Brick, and Brick did not enjoy Princess's company in the least. "Brick doesn't like her either. Well, Brick doesn't like anyone, really, as far as I can tell. There are just 'annoying' and 'less annoying' for him." I turned to them, a smile on my face. "Don't worry girls. I'm sure that if I can convince Brick to do it, he'll convince the others to do it."

"One can only hope," Buttercup said, shaking her head, joining me and turning to face Bubbles. Brick was going to be hard to convince, but I think I may be able to talk him into it.

"Maybe we could help," Bubbles began, finally joining Buttercup and me. I felt my eyes widen in surprise. How in the world was Bubbles going to help me?

"I mean, you two tell me often enough that my puppy-dog looks are, well, irresistible." Bubbles shot me a knowing look. I felt a small smile creep along my face. Bubbles was right. I had yet to see a single person immune to Bubbles's puppy-dog looks.

"You mean, you'd help me?" I asked, feeling touch.

"Well, duh, Brainiac," Buttercup said, eyebrow propped up. "We're a team, aren't we?" Bubbles nodded. Bubbles turned to look at Buttercup. After a quick glance, a confused look flitted across her face before she gave her head a small shake.

I smiled at them, "Well, I suppose we could do it during lunch…" Bubbles gasped.

"Buttercup!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Buttercup barked out, obviously annoyed at Bubbles. Bubbles's eyes widened as she stared at Buttercup.

"You're, you're wearing _makeup._" Buttercup stood up to turn around, but Bubbles quickly nodded at me. Before Buttercup could take another step, I quickly pounced, tackling her to the floor. Buttercup struggled wildly under me, almost throwing me off. Grunting, I quickly focused on a small portion of my brain and soon a soft pink haze engulfed Buttercup. She sat on the floor, arms crossed over her chest, knowing trying to escape would be useless as long as I was using my powers of negation. I quickly took a closer look at her face, noting the iridescent green and brown shadow that blended across her eyelids and the soft sparkle dusting her prominent cheekbones.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, "You're right!" Buttercup glowered in my direction. Bubbles quickly joined me and we both leaned in for a closer look. Buttercup scowled further.

"You know, even despite the scowl, she's quite pretty, don't you think?" Bubbles remarked, earning another scowl from Buttercup. I nodded in agreement. The make-up emphasized the contours of her cheeks and the eye shadow had made her eyes more large and luminous.

"Okay, you two have had your _fun_," She spat, "now will you_ let me go_?" she turned her glare on me.

"You're right, Bubbles!" I agreed, ignoring Buttercup, causing her to groan and roll her eyes, "Oh stop being so histrionic, Buttercup. You look beautiful, especially your eyes."

"Yeah, her eyes are my favorite part!" Bubbles exclaimed. Buttercup paused, mouth open, ready to fight back.

"My…eyes?" She asked, puzzled.

"They're green!" Bubbles sighed wistfully, backing away. "I wished I had green eyes, they're so expressive!"

"Expressive?" Bubbles rolled her eyes at Buttercup's confusion.

"I get what you're saying, Bubbles!" I agreed, "I mean, just one look at Buttercup's eyes and you _know _what she's thinking."

"Yeah! Blue eyes are so dull. They always look so cold…like ice!" I shot a glance at Bubbles. Her eyes were anything but icy. As a matter of fact, they looked like a cloudless sky on a summer's day. Not to mention they seemed to change to different shades of blue depending on her mood.

"Well at least your eyes are normal colored! Mine are pink! _Pink!_" I exclaimed, jumping away, "No one in the world has pink eyes, which makes me a genetic freak, literally." Bubbles nodded sympathetically.

Buttercup scoffed, turning her face away from us, "Are you two finished yet? I kind of need to cook dinner before the Professor flips a shit." She paused, "And speaking of shit, I need to take this shit off." Bubbles seemed to deflate a little at Buttercup's words.

"Aw, okay," she said, sounding oddly disappointed, "I mean, it's so rare to see you so…made up!" I nodded. How did Buttercup get the make-up on…Sedusa. Of course it had to be Sedusa. I internally congratulated that villainess for her handiwork. Buttercup shot me another glare. Startled, I realized that she was still under my powers of negation. I quickly released her.

"And it will probably be the last time until I die." Buttercup stood up, the pink haze fading from around her. Flying up the stairs, she left the room and headed straight for the bathroom.

"That's a pity, she looked amazing," Bubbles sighed, turning toward me. I nodded in agreement.

"I'm really glad that we had that talk though…" I murmured, smiling at Bubbles. I hadn't really realized how much it must have bothered Bubbles. She was always so bubbly and cheerful. My mind flashed back to the time she had taken down Mojo all by herself after the Professor had babied her in the training lab and Buttercup had teased her for her weakness.

"Mhmm," Bubbles agreed

"Remember, you are never useless. You're a PowerPuff girl! You help save the city! Without you, there would be something missing, like...like an enzyme in a chemical reaction. Plus you keep the group together, like gravity keeps people on the earth! " I exclaimed. Wincing at the cheesy pep talk.

Bubbles giggled, "Okay Blossom…now I see why you have social problems…You just sound plain nerdy," she teased, nudging me with her shoulder.

"Oh shut up, you little bimbo," I teased back, playfully poking her in the ribs, a smile breaking across my face.

* * *

Sliding into my seat, I quickly pulled out a pen and my notebook and watched as Brick sauntered up to the front of the classroom

"Okay guys, so today I know I said we were going to create liquid magnets using Ferrofluid and then study the multiple uses of it, but one of the science teachers accidentally used the kerosene we had bought for one of his experiments." A general groan went throughout the group. "But he said we were allowed to use any of his supplies in his office and he's really sorry about all of this."

"Is it Mr. Moore?" Carl asked, "Because he has that really cool model scale of the solar system that…"

"No, Carl, it was Mr. Jasper." Brick interrupted, looking impatient. Glancing at the wall, I tapped my pen against the blank pages of my notebook.

"Mr. Jasper!" Janine, cried, "Isn't he the one that does all the blood tests for those kids who get suspended?" I snapped to attention. Since when did our school have blood tests for students who get suspended?

"Wait, what?" Brick asked, voicing my thoughts.

"Yeah, like, if you get an out of school suspension the school automatically draws your blood to see if you've been doing drugs."

"Is that even legal?" Carl sneered.

"How should I know?" Janine returned, "If I wanted to know the legality of it I would have joined the Student Rights club, not chemistry club, dummy."

If Mr. Jasper drew blood from students who had been suspended, we could compare blood samples from various students. We could also probably use Mr. Jasper's blood testing equipment. Shoving my chair back, I quickly got the attention of everyone in the room.

"Uh, Brick, I just remembered I was supposed to tell you something from the um, Student Council Advisor. Can I talk to you outside?" Brick frowned, confused. I inwardly rolled my eyes. Did Brick have to be so obtuse? I quickly looked at him meaningfully, trying to telepathically send messages that I needed to talk to him about the potion business and gave a slight nod toward the door. Realization hit Brick and he quickly turned toward the door.

"Uh yeah, sure." He awkwardly trudged out the door. Shooting an apologetic smile to my fellow Chemistry club members, I quickly followed.

Once the door was firmly shut, I turned to him, "Brick, did you hear what Janine said?"

"That they test the blood of kids who get out of school suspension? Yeah, though I think that's a little extreme…I wonder why Butch never said anything to me about it."

"No!" I sighed, exasperated. "Use your brain! Think!" I cried, hitting Brick lightly on the forehead. Brick stared at my hand. Realizing that I had actually hit Brick, I awkwardly shuffled my feet. "If he takes blood samples and analyzes them, then he must have the tools to tell us what the blood contains!"

"Yeah, so…?"

"So if we can get the Professor's blood samples over here and test them against someone who's been infected, we can see what the differences are, why the Professor's immune to the potion and be that much closer to finding a cure!"

"Right, that's a good plan, but we don't have either of the blood samples on us."

"Well, I can go home real quick and get the Professor's blood. Meanwhile, see if you can find anyone in the club who's been affected." Brick nodded. I turned and began to jog towards the doors at the end of the hall.

"Alright. Meet you back here in ten minutes?"

Turning my head to look at him over my shoulder, I winked. "Make that five," I replied before throwing the doors open and taking off into the air. As the wind caressed my arms, I realized that in the past ten minutes, I had playfully hit Brick and winked at him. What in the world was I thinking? Cheeks flaming, I landed gracefully onto my front yard and rushed inside the house.

* * *

Bursting through the door, I entered the room with the Professor's blood well concealed behind me back. "Hey, sorry. I had to go get something from my locker quickly," I explained, slightly out of breath. The chemistry club stared back at me before quickly returning their gazes to Brick.

"Well, um, so I have nothing else for us to do today. So I guess we can just go home then…" Brick trailed off, staring right at me. I cocked my head in confusion. What was Brick doing?

"Why did you let them all go? How are we supposed to get their blood now?" I asked exasperated.

He shrugged, looking away. "No one has recently partaken in the fantastic water the Townsville water treatment plant supplies us with."

I sighed, slumping into seat before pulling out a vial filled with a thick red liquid and setting it on the desk. "Well, I guess I can go store this vial in the Chemistry Club refrigerator then." Brick nodded as I made my way to the back of the chemistry room.

"Neither my brothers nor I know any affected people, aside from Seb and Chris." Brick started, causing me to stop. _Another dead end_ I thought miserably.

"Well, I don't know anyone either and Bubbles said that the only person she knew who was affected was her ex-boyfriend, Jacques. But I don't really want her to have to talk to that creep." I replied, wrinkling my nose at the mere mention of his name.

"Have you talked to Buttercup about it?"

I sighed for the third time, "She's been so distant recently. Like, she used to talk about her friends on the team or her one of her best friends, Mitch, but now she just reports to me like I'm some drill sergeant, not her sister." I laughed nervously, "God, I suck at socializing. You probably don't care about any of this!"

"No, it's okay. It's nice to know that I'm not the only person in the world with a screwed up relationship with their siblings." Brick paused, a puzzled look on his face. I laughed and grabbed the other vials.

"Shall we go put this in the fridge?" I asked, exiting from behind the desk and scooting the chair in with my hip.

Striding to the door, Brick opened it with a pompous flourish, "After you, my lady."

I played along, curtsying before walking through, "Thank you, good sir." We walked into the office in silence towards the location of the chemistry refrigerator.

"Is your sister in practice?" Brick asked, as we approached the ancient fridge.

I glanced at my watch, frowning. "No, she would have just ended it." What was taking Buttercup and Bubbles so long?

"Do you think you could go talk to her about if she knows anyone who's infected while I put the blood in the fridge?"

"Yeah, sure." I replied, handing the vials over to Brick. "It makes the most sense, after all." I turned on my heels and started jogging in the opposite direction, towards the athletics field.

As I made my way toward the field, my phone beeped. Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the message. "Pokettes practice is hectic, Boomer and I are going to be a little late! Hope you're not mad! :D -Bubbles" I smiled as I read the brief message and shoving my phone back into my pocket, I continued on my way.

Gazing across the field, I tried to make out Buttercup among the group of girls aggressively playing lacrosse. She was located right in the middle of the tangle of players, bellowing commands to her team as if she was a drill sergeant.

"Buttercup!" I called, hoping that amid the grunts and roars her super hearing could catch my voice. Buttercup stopped the game and glanced up; catching my eye she signaled her team to wait and flew over to me.

"What do you want? I'm kind of in the middle of something," Buttercup grumbled, gesturing with her lacrosse stick to her team.

"Sorry to bother you, its just Brick and I can't find anyone who might be infected with the potion," I explained.

"What about Jacques? Or Sebastian and Christian?" Buttercup asked, her eyes seeking out Sebastian on the boys' end of the field.

"Brick said that Sebastian is a trypanophobic and Christian is hemophobic. And you know I can't ask Bubbles to collect Jacques blood after what he did to her," I replied.

"Okay…your point is?" Buttercup asked, scowling.

"Nothing, I just wanted to let you know that we don't have samples and that you're supposed to meet us at the chemistry lab." I huffed back, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You interrupted my practice to give me a fucking update?" Buttercup growled, spitting out the words. "Next time you interrupt, you should have a better reason!" She growled turning to her heel. Just as I though Buttercup was going to stalk away in anger, she stopped and turned back to face me. I raised my eyebrow in surprise while she rumpled her hair and bit her lip, casting her eyes toward her shoes. "Maybe….I can get you a sample," She finally said, refusing to look at me.

"You…you can?" I asked, completely taken aback. It seemed strange that Buttercup knew a victim to the potion without telling me. "Who is…."

"Yeah," Buttercup replied, her green eyes flashing angrily as she interrupted me.

"Well can you bring that sample to the Chemistry room? Brick and I will test it there," I answered hurriedly, not wanting to upset Buttercup.

"Sure, I'll be there as soon as I can," Buttercup muttered before turning and jogging back to her team. As I walked away, I heard her awkwardly dismissing her team, promising to practice extra hard to tomorrow to make up for ending early. Smiling, I turned to my heel and made my way back to the chemistry classroom.

* * *

"I can't believe she didn't tell me!" I fumed, slamming the door behind me as I stalked into the classroom. Startled, Brick's chair fell forward with a thud and a pencil clattered to the floor.

"Didn't tell you what?" Brick asked, bending over to pick up the pencil and inspecting the tip.

"Buttercup didn't tell me about a person who was infected with the potion. She's been keeping information from us!" I answered, glaring at Brick.

"Well is she going to get us a sample?" Brick questioned, casually tilting his chair back. He shifted his gaze back toward the ceiling and holding the pencil like a tiny spear threw it upwards. It bounced off the ceiling and rolled across the floor to my feet. Sighing, I bent down and quickly retrieved the pencil, slamming it down on the desk.

"Well of course she….Brick? Are you paying attention?" I asked as I noticed a glazed look in his eyes.

"Uh yeah…" He replied, his chair crashing to the ground as he leaned toward me.

I raised my eyebrow before continuing "Well she said she would bring it over here and she should be here in a couple of minutes," I answered.

"Peachy," Brick replied, a slow smile creeping along his face.

"Brick!" I snapped my fingers. Brick gave himself a little shake and ran his hand across his mouth.

"You were saying?" he asked, a scowl replacing his smile. I sighed before replying. "Buttercup's going to be here with the person and get a blood sample in a few minutes."

"Okay," Brick nodded.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Buttercup stalked in.

"Did you get the…" I started to ask, only to be silenced by Buttercup's death glare and her hand in the "stop" gesture. Closely following her was Mitch Mitchelson. Suddenly I realized why Buttercup hadn't told me. Mitch was her best friend, and having him affected by the potion must have been hard on her. But who had Mitch been with when he got infected? I wondered, as Mitch shuffled closer toward Buttercup. Buttercup stalked toward me.

"He's infected, I'll get the blood sample from you if you could just get the needle ready."

I nodded and quickly began disinfecting a needle, making sure that it had never been used and was in perfect condition. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Buttercup smile nervously as she edged away from Mitch. That was funny; Mitch and Buttercup had never acted so awkwardly around each other before. I pursed my lips in confusion. I continued watching as Mitch slowly closed the gap between him and Buttercup, scooting so close that he might as well be sniffing her hair. As soon as his nose almost touched her head, Buttercup planted her hand on his chest and firmly pushed him away, exclaiming about the sharpness of a nearby scalpel and holding it threateningly toward Mitch. My eyes widened as realization hit me. Buttercup hadn't told me anything about Mitch because Mitch was in love with her. She must have been standing near him when he drank the potion-affected water. I watched as Mitch wearily eyed the scalpel while he tried to close the gap between the two of them. Buttercup swore quietly under her breath and after commanding Mitch to stay where he was, quickly made her way toward me. She casted a glance or two over her shoulder to make sure that Mitch stayed where he was.

"Is that needle ready yet?" She hissed, holding out her hand impatiently.

"Yeah, are you sure you don't want me to do it?" I asked.

"No!" Buttercup shouted, snatching the needle from my hands. "I mean, I've got it, just you and Brick go get the Professor's blood or whatever blood you're using…Just don't watch me get Mitch's blood," she muttered darkly.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should watch..." I started to ask

"No! You'll just….just make me…um…nervous, yeah nervous! Especially with Brick here, too. I might stab through his vein or something. Can you just both leave? It's bad enough that I have to get blood from my best friend…" Buttercup ranted, before stalking over to Mitch and demanding for his arm. As Mitch rolled up his sleeve, she shot me a glare and mouthed, "Go!" before turning back to Mitch.

"Let's go get the Professor's blood," I murmured to Brick and firmly grasping his arm, I dragged him toward the office.

"Ugh…Let's just get this over with," I heard Buttercup mutter as the door swung shut behind us.

"I can walk by myself you know," Brick huffed, yanking his arm from my grasp and stalking toward the fridge.

"Oh, of course," I replied, tearing my eyes from the closed door. Why was Buttercup acting so weird?

"Okay, what was that about?" Brick asked, pulling open the fridge door and bending down to retrieve the blood. I shrugged in response, "I have no idea," I answered. Although Mitch was Buttercup's best friend and Mitch was in love with her, well affected by the potion, she was acting so strange. Puzzled, I absently grasped the cool vials of blood that Brick passed me and headed back toward the door. Brick reached over and quickly opened the door for me. As I stepped through the door, I caught sight of Mitch and Buttercup and gasped. In the middle of the room, Mitch and Buttercup were kissing, one of his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his lap and the other on the back of her neck.

Suddenly, the door on the other side of the room swung opened and Butch sauntered in, "Hey I'm…" his greeting stopped when his eyes landed on Mitch and Buttercup. A deep green spark danced murderously in Butch's eyes and his fists clenched matching green sparks dancing on his knuckles.

"What, the_ fuck_, is going on here?" Butch growled in a controlled yet threatening tone. At the sound of his voice, Buttercup sprang up from Mitch's lap and her eyes darted from Brick to Butch and to me.

"Oh hey, you guys are back…." She replied weakly, pulling at the hem of her shirt and tucking a few strands of her short, black hair behind her ears. This time it was Brick who grasped my arm and dragged me to the lab table. Without a word, Brick slowly pried the vials of blood from my hands and started to prepare the slides.

"Mitch. I think you should leave," Butch commanded, pointing to the door.

"I go wherever I want, Butch and you can't tell me what to do," Mitch replied coolly, tugging at Buttercup's limp hand.

"Uh… Mitch actually, you should go," Buttercup said, gesturing toward the door and snatching her hand from his grasp.

"If you really want me too," Mitch replied, standing up and wrapping his arms around Buttercup's waist, nuzzling her neck. Butch growled at the back of his throat as Buttercup closed her eyes and tilted her head back so that it rested ever-so-gently on Mitch's shoulder. Gasping, her eyes snapped open and she gently pried Mitch's arms from around her waist.

"Mitch just go," she said, pushing him toward the door.

"See you later," Mitch replied with a wink as he walked toward the door.

As soon as Mitch closed the door behind him, Buttercup grasped the vial of blood sitting on the counter behind her and made her way toward me.

"Here's your blood sample" She muttered and turned to leave the room only to be blocked by Butch. I quickly prepared Mitch's blood and handed them to Brick for analysis.

"I didn't know you were the kind of girl who skips practices to make out with her boyfriend," Butch spat, glowering at her darkly.

"He's not my boyfriend! I was just taking a blood sample!" Buttercup responded defensively.

"What? Through his mouth?" Butch scoffed, arms folded across his chest.

"No, from his forearm, where you normally….why the hell do I have to explain this to you? It's not your business to know who I kiss and who I don't kiss. What does it matter to you?" Buttercup asked, her green eyes sparked with anger.

"It doesn't matter," Butch responded.

"Then why the fuck do you give a shit?" Buttercup demanded, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"You're right, I don't give a shit," Butch muttered, stalking past her toward Brick and me.

"Good!" Buttercup huffed, crossing her arms and moving to sit at the other end of the room.

* * *

"Where the fuck is Boomer?" Brick muttered as he gazed at the Professor's blood.

I glanced down quickly at my watch, it seemed like Pokettes practice was running more than half and hour late.

"Bubbles texted me and said that Pokettes practice was running late…they should be here soon," I responded. For the past ten to twenty minutes, the room had been eerily silent. Butch and Buttercup sat at opposite ends of the room, glaring at each other, quiet rage seething in their eyes. I shivered when my eye caught Butch's; his eyes contained a dark, cold rage. It was this anger that made me realize just how dangerous the RowdyRuff Boys were. Sure they tried to kill us numerous times, but this was different. The usual flirtatious Butch was gone and in his place was a monster.

Suddenly the door burst open and Boomer and Bubbles ran in, laughing and giggling.

"Hey sorry we're so…whoa" Boomer stopped, causing Bubbles to crash into his back. Their laughter dwindled away and they nervously glanced from one tense face to the other.

"So…did Buttercup or Butch kill somebody or what?" Bubbles asked, giggling nervously as she tried to break the tension with a good humored joke. I quickly shook my head and bent down to have study Mitch's blood.

"Well okay then…did we find anything important?" Boomer asked, avoiding Butch altogether.

"Well we got some blood from an infected person…" Brick answered, his eyes darting toward Butch and I mentally willed Bubbles not to ask who it was.

"Really? That's…that's great right?" Bubbles desperately asked, her eyes full of confusion, "Who is it?" I groaned inwardly and Brick smack his forehead. I shifted my gaze and saw Butch stiffen, his eyes danced dangerously and he slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

"Does it matter?" Buttercup hissed, shooting a death glare at Bubbles, "We got the blood okay? So stop asking about it." Taken aback, Bubbles nervously tugged at the end of her pigtail.

"I was just trying to break the silence, I don't see what's wrong with just trying to figure out who was infected…we need to know so that we can cure them," Bubbles whispered, her eyes cast downward.

I sighed at the contrite figure. I glared at Buttercup, she had no right to snap at Bubbles simply because she asked a question.

"Dude, who was it?" Boomer asked, tossing his bangs out of his face and dropping his backpack on the floor. Boomer stared at Brick.

"Don't look at me man," Brick muttered, looking at the Professor's blood for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Well if no one else is gonna say it, what's the point in getting the sample?" Boomer demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine! It was Mitch Mitchelson!" Brick blurted out.

"So? Mitch is Buttercup's best friend. Why is that causing so much trouble?" Bubbles asked unknowingly causing green sparks to dance along Butch's knuckles. Butch clenched the metal stool he was sitting on, slowly crumbling it.

"Don't ask," Buttercup muttered threateningly.

"Well I'm asking. What the hell happened to create this ridiculous tension?" Bubbles demanded, crossing her arms and ignoring Boomer, Brick's and my attempts to stop her from opening her mouth.

There was a sudden crash and Butch abruptly stood up, two hand size chunks of metal fell from his hands and he stalked wordlessly toward the door. Grasping the doorknob, Butch flung the door open and froze.

"What the hell! I can't even get the fuck out of this god damn fucking piece of shit room!" Butch bellowed as soon as the door slammed into the wall, bits of plaster breaking off from the force. The doorknob tumbled to the floor, dislodged from the power and dented where Butch's fingers had been. Craning our necks around the door, we noticed a large body of students milling around the hall. Correction: a large number of male students who seemed to be standing in some sort of line. There were jocks, drama kids, nerds, and every kind of guy in the school each mumbling to themselves and glaring at the others. They seemed to be in two different lines that snaked around the hallways and up the stairs.

"What in the world is going on?" I asked, as Boomer and Brick both whistled in amazement. Suddenly, all the animosity disappeared as we all peered out of the classroom to figure out what was going on. They didn't seemed to be scared or phased by the furious Butch or the way the sparks dancing across his knuckles grew ever larger.

"Excuse me? What is going on here?" I asked, tapping the closest male on the shoulder.

"Hmm? Sorry, I can't talk now," He responded distractedly waving my hand away.

"Dude, what's going on?" Brick asked another, only to be completely ignored. Buttercup pushed her way out of the classroom and stood in front of one of the jocks.

"Excuse me? You're blocking my way," He muttered angrily before shoving past a thunderstruck Buttercup. Normally, no one talked her to her like that, let alone push past her. It was as if the guys in the school had suddenly forgotten who we were. Growling in fury, Buttercup prepared to lunge at the unfortunate boy when I quickly stopped her.

"Not now Buttercup, we have to find out what's really going on!" I cried.

"There's only one way to find out," Bubbles chirped before skipping out the door and following the line toward the front. She turned around and motioned for us to join her. We quickly scrambled after her, following the winding line of boys to its source. As we turned the corner, I felt my mouth drop, heard Bubbles gasp, and heard Buttercup swear. Tina and Gina stood back to back in front of their lockers completely surrounded by boys.


	26. Chapter 26: Sparks

Author's Note:

Miyoreos: Hey hey hey! Haven't seen you guys in a while :) Sorry for such a late update. Good news, summer vacation is upon us and stphne and I will do our best to try and get chapters uploaded efficiently and consistently

Stphne:...you couldn't just say "Hey, sorry for the late updates. We'll try and update faster soon?"

Miyoreos:...no...

Stphne: Whatever. Disclaimer shite: we don't own anything, blah blah blah

Miyoreos: R and R! ENJOY! kay thanks bye, I gotta go write another paper :)

Stphne: Like they give a shit...

* * *

I stood proudly before the field, cool wind blowing through my short hair. "Alright! Warm-up laps around the field and alternate each lap with lunges across it!" I barked out suddenly disturbing the calm air. A general groan went out amongst my teammates as they slowly began jogging.

"Wait, what are _you_ doing here?" A voice yelled out, the sound of twenty feet crunching on the grass leading up to me. I continued to stare at my team as they made towards the far-side of the field. Butch; I should have known he couldn't leave me alone for a fucking second.

"I could ask you the same thing." I replied, refusing to turn around and acknowledge his presence.

"I booked the fucking field, so get off of our turf."

I scoffed at his obvious lie. "No, because _I_ booked the field, douche-wad, so quit lying, quit bothering us, and get off our damn field!"

"Maybe you're the one lying because I booked it at the main office." Butch replied smugly, "Who'd of thought it? A Powerpuff girl lying! Tsk, tsk, Buttercup, what would Blossom say if she knew?"

"Wait, main office?" I asked turning around and stepping towards Butch, "You're supposed to book stuff at the athletics office, genius."

"That's not what coach told me." Butch replied, taking a step towards me.

"'That's not what coach told me'," I mocked in a high pitched voice, "Maybe your coach should learn proper procedure. Now get the hell off of our damn field!" I yelled, stepping forward a bit more.

"I would, except it's _ours_!" Butch returned with equal volume, closing the remaining distance between us. I glared up at him as he returned my glare with one of his own.

It was a battle of wit and ability to keep our eyes satisfactorily moisturized. Being me, the greatest champion ever, I had yet to lose a single glaring contest and I'll be damned if I lose against fucking Butch. I glared harder.

Slowly, Butch's eyes began losing their hard edge around them, softening his stare. What the…is this some kind of new tactic I don't know about? I felt my eyes beginning to come out of the glare in confusion. What the hell? Suddenly it dawned on me. He was trying to confuse me to make blink! I smirked, it wasn't working this time, _friend_. I narrowed my eyes in a glare once more. Butch's eyes widened in realization - as if he didn't know what he was doing; nice try, Butch, but I'm on to you and your tricks.

A voice suddenly cleared their throat. Butch and I whirled on the person, my eyes still set in a glare. "What?" I barked out, "I'm in the middle of something!"

"Butch, Are we having practice or not? 'Cause I've got a lady waiting for me…" I scoffed loudly.

"Are you saying that 'romancing a honey' is more important than the _honor_ of knowing you've put all your _hardest_ effort into practicing so that maybe, _just maybe_, you can feel the cold, hard metal of that golden State Champion's trophy in your hands while the cheers of a thunderous crowd float towards your head?" I said lowly, stalking towards the player. Reaching him, I kept my eyes lowered, fixing his shirt. I felt him gulp; his aversion to having me to close was palpable. Suddenly I jerked him down to my significantly lower height. "Because that's what you just told me," I growled.

Releasing him, I backed away from the group. "You know what, Butch? I'm feeling generous today. I'll give you half the field simply because your team fucking _sucks_ at devotion. From one Captain to another, might I suggest you start today's practice with a little lesson in discipline? "

I spun on my heel, running to catch up with my team. "Alright ladies!" I yelled loudly, getting their attentions, "Because the boys' team sucks at life, make those full-field laps into half-field laps!" I smiled as my teammates hooted and yelled their approval. I heard a yell of 'Thanks for sucking so hard!' being directed at the boys causing a laugh to erupt from the team.

"Fuck." I heard Butch swear as he glowered at his team. "Laps, all of you, go!" He yelled.

"How many?" The same kind from earlier asked.

"Until my urge to beat some fucking brains into you goes away." Butch growled in return before he turned and set the pace for the group at a light run.

* * *

"Stacey! Keep up! Keep up!" I yelled at a girl as she lagged behind the group slightly. We had been practicing for a good 30 minutes, though thanks to Butch's interruption I decided to hold practice just a bit longer.

"Sorry Buttercup!" I heard Stacey say, a bit out of breath. I deftly caught the ball in the net of my Crosse, cradling it for but a second before I heard what sounded like Blossom calling for me. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I huffed out the rest of my air. "Hold up!" I called out to the rest of the time, throwing the ball to Tina before flying to my sister.

"What do you want? I'm kind of in the middle of something." I said bluntly, gesturing towards my waiting team with my lacrosse stick. Blossom better have a freaking good reason for interrupting practice. We had already lost time dealing with Bitch's team of nNincompoops and now I have to deal with her.

"Sorry to bother you," I rolled my eyes slightly. Yeah right. Like shit you are. "It's just Brick and I can't find anyone who might be infected with the potion."

"What about Jacques? Or Sebastian and Christian?" I looked down at the Boys' end of the field, trying to find him in the mass of hulking, sweating male bodies. Looks like shirts versus skins. My eyes caught sight of Butch in the mass, causing my eyes to widen fractionally. Butch was surprisingly well built. Well-built muscles lined his back and arms and moved ever so gracefully as I watched him jump to catch a wayward throw. Naturally, Butch would whip off his shirt any chance he got and I'm surprised more of my girls aren't distracted.

"Brick said said that Sebastian is a trypanophobic and Christian is hemophobic." I brought myself back to Blossom's words, slightly puzzled by the fact that a) I had no clue what those words even fucking meant and b) I just caught myself checking out Butch. Disgusted with myself, I refocused on Blossom again. "And you know I can't ask Bubbles to collect Jacques' blood after what he did to her."

"Okay…and your point is?" I was scowling as I said this. Blossom's words weren't really processing and god dammit I needed to run, throw, catch and generally just move _now_.

"Nothing, I just wanted to let you know that we don't have samples and that you're supposed to meet us at the chemistry lab." Blossom let out some air, crossing her arms against her chest. Good, she was getting frustrated too. Wait a fucking second. She just wanted to _tell_ me this? Are you fucking serious?

"You interrupt my practice to give me a fucking update?" I spat the words out at her, wanting to punch her face so badly. How many practices have I wasted for this stupid fucking potion shit? "Next time you interrupt, you should better have a reason!" I growled at her, turning to go back to my group of girls. Jesus! Blossom should know better than that to just fucking interrupt me while I'm fucking in the middle of shit…

Wait. Blossom does know better. I stopped, turning around. Maybe, she just couldn't find it in her heart to ask me for help? As far as I knew, Blossom never asked anyone for help and maybe she just didn't know how. I saw her raise an eyebrow at me, waiting. I bit my lip in thought. Mitch was affected by the potion. Originally I didn't tell anyone. Mostly because it's my shit and that shit would be over with as soon as the antidote was spread. But also, I was slightly ashamed that I didn't catch it in time. If I had been more alert and on my game…

"Maybe…" I began, trying to force the words out, "I can get you a sample." I looked away from Blossom, Blossom who was so perfect. She would have recognized the fact that Mitch had contaminated water in his bottle.

"You…you can?" She seemed completely surprised, and I don't blame her. "Who is…?"

"Yeah." I said, cutting her off. Maybe I could admit that I could get someone, but I'll be damned if I have to admit anything about the identity to her right now.

"Well can you bring that sample to the Chemistry room? Brick and I will test it there." She said this in a rush, taking short little glances at me. She didn't want to upset me. How cute.

"Sure, I'll be there as soon as I can." I turned around to my team, setting towards them at a light jog. Behind me, I heard Blossom leave the field.

"So uh, 'sup teammates!" I asked, jogging the last few steps to my team. They gave me weird looks at my awkward greeting. Normally I would have come back here and yelled at them a little, making them work extra hard. "So it seems that, uh, something of a somewhat kind of emergency type situation has happened." I saw Tina among with a few others look worried, "Nothing bad has happened!" I quickly said, "Just something needs my immediate attention. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm ending practice a little earlier than expected. But don't worry! I'll work you all extra hard for an extended amount next time!" A general groan floated through the air as my words took effect. "So I'll catch you guys later!" I called out jogging backwards towards the small concession stand I knew was located behind me.

The team slowly began to dissipate, heading towards the locker room. Reaching the edge of the field, I took a quick glance towards Butch. He seemed oblivious to the world, yelling at his boys just as hard as I yelled at my girls earlier. Biting my lip, I glanced between him and the sky, praying to god he wouldn't notice my next move. Deciding it was better now than never, I quickly ducked behind the stand and took off into the sky.

* * *

Grabbing my hair tie, I quickly pulled it out of my hair, giving it a nice shake and fluff before I knocked on the door. I stood there for only a few seconds when Mitch's mom answered the door. "Hey!" I cried loudly, "'Sup Mrs. Mitchelson? Is Mitch around?"

"'Course he's here, sweetie! Haven't seen you 'round here in a while and my, haven't you gotten prettier and prettier! And how many times have I told you to call me Mom?" She shooed me inside and sat me down in the living room. "Now just sit right there, I'm sure he'll be here in a flash!" She giggled into her hand before scampering off. She knows. Oh god, she knows. Well, maybe not about the whole potion thing, but she knows about her son liking me. Shit. Oh damn, fucking shit. I stood up. Maybe I can escape here before Mitch figures out I'm here. I can tell Blossom my person got hit by a semi-truck. That's believable, right? Getting hit by a semi-truck? It happens practically all the time!

"Hey, Buttercup."

I screamed loudly, spinning around. "Holy fuck! You scared the living shit out of me Mitch!" I smacked his arm hard, grumpy about the fact that he made me scream like, well, a girl.

Mitch came towards me again, rubbing his arm briefly before he snagged me around the waist. "I missed you today," he said, almost pouting, "I haven't seen you anywhere in a week. Almost thought you were trying to avoid me." He put his other arm around me and began dragging me in. Putting my hands on his chest I pushed against him, freeing myself.

"That's because I have, dip-wad."

"Don't be like that, Buttercup. I love you." He approached me again.

I sighed. "Sit down Mitch." Obediently he turned around and sat, patting the seat next to him. "I'm fine standing, thanks." I ran my hand through my hair, trying to think about how to word this.

"Okay. This is going to sound a little crazy but this is the situation: I need your blood."

"Kinky." Mitch purred, moving to get off the couch. "Never figured you were one to be into that."

"Ew. Gross. No. And stay seated, I'm not done." I sighed, thinking some more, "I can't get into much detail, but here's what I can tell you. Something is not right in Townsville. Basically a potion was released and you've been affected by it so I need your blood – well Blossom needs your blood to see what it looks like."

"I feel just fine right now, Buttercup. Well, just fine if I could just kiss you." Mitch stood up again.

"Aw, hell no. Sit down. Now, will you give me your blood or not? Because if you aren't then I needed to leave like, yesterday."

Mitch pouted briefly, thinking, before he brightened up. He smiled lazily at me, like he swallowed a canary. "Okay. I'll give you my blood." He said.

"Awesome. Let's go." I turned around, hand on the door knob.

"Hang on. I never finished. I'll give you my blood on one condition." My blood froze in my veins.

"And what would that be?" I asked tightly, still facing the door and slightly afraid of his answer. I felt him stand up and come behind me.

"Give me a kiss." He whispered in my ear.

I took a deep breath. "No."

"Then I guess you won't get your blood." He murmured back to me, running his hands up my arms slowly before he pushed all my hair to one side.

I closed my eyes, taking a shaky breath, slightly cursing Blossom, Sebastian, Christian, and whoever the hell else I could think of for getting me into this. "Fine, but not until after you've done given us the blood."

"Deal."

* * *

"Could you not stand so fucking close to me all the time?" I growled out, frustrated with Mitch. It was bad enough that I had to fly carrying him here but he won't let two inches between us. We stood in front of the door to the Chemistry room where my sister and Brick were. I threw open the door with a bang, marching into the room with Mitch trailing behind me. Brick was sitting in a chair while Blossom stood next to a desk, slightly bent over it with her hand on a pencil. Both turned to look at me and Mitch.

"Did you get the…" Blossom began; I glared at her, flipping my hand upwards in the stop position. I did not feel like dealing with her questions right now. Questions that I knew had to be flooding her head like Mitch was infected? Who was he with when he was infected? Questions that I knew were going to be answered very soon and not by choice.

Mitch scooted closer to me and, rolling my eyes, I stomped over to where Blossom was sitting. "He's infected; I'll get the blood sample from you if you could just get the needle ready." I said lowly and quickly. Blossom seemed to be in a state of wordless shock as she nodded and began to get the needle ready. I turned around seeing Mitch eying me.

Moving unwillingly back over to him, I stood about a foot away. However, this seemed to be too far for the likes of Mitch as he once again began scooting closer to me. Finally he reached me, as he bent over slightly, breathing deeply. My eyes widened in shock as I realized what he was doing. The freak was smelling my hair!

Pushing on his chest, I moved away, my eyes landing on a shiny piece of metal. "Holy shit! _Look at how sharp that scalpel is_!" I exclaimed, grabbing it firmly and putting it between me and Mitch. I gave him a look saying 'Back the fuck off or I _will_ use this'. Unfortunately, despite his obsession with me, our telepathic communication skills must be off because I swear that boy must have thought I said, 'I'm a kinky bitch, come get me.' He scooted around my knife, coming at me yet again.

Thinking quickly, I recalled is dog-like obedience from before. "Stay." I commanded. He stood still finally as I quickly made my way towards Blossom. Just one look at her and I could tell she figured it out. I mentally cursed in my head. Her eyes kept flipping between me and Mitch. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he stayed put. He did.

"Is that needle ready yet?" I hissed at her, impatient. I held out my hand.

"Yeah, are you sure you don't want me to do it?" Blossom asked worriedly.

"No!" I yelled out, eyes wide, ""I mean, I've got it, just you and Brick go get the Professor's blood or whatever blood you're using…just don't watch me get Mitch's blood." I saw her look at me.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should watch..." I cussed at Blossom in my head. Stop messing with my plan!

"No! You'll just….just make me…um…nervous, yeah nervous! Especially with Brick here, too. I might stab through his vein or something. Can you just both leave? It's bad enough that I have to get blood from my best friend…" I left quickly, realizing I didn't really make much sense and Blossom was starting to get suspicious. What the hell was wrong with me? Normally I was a much better liar than that…

Finally I reached Mitch and, giving them a glance backwards I saw they hadn't moved. "Go!" I yelled, turning back to Mitch. I heard the two of them leave the room as I let out a sigh. "Let's just get this over with." I pulled the rubber tube tight against his arm, stopping his blood momentarily.

"Why Buttercup, it sounds like you don't want to do this!" Tapping on his inner elbow, I searched for a vein, thanking the Professor for randomly teaching me how to take blood one day.

"It's because I don't, idiot. Now hold still." Finally teasing out a vein, I punctured it with the needle. The tube turned red as the blood made its way to the vial. Filling one up, I pressed a cotton swab to the place where the needle met skin and slid the needle out. Grabbing some medial tape, I wrapped it around the cotton ball and secured it.

"Okay we're done." I jumped away, hoping he forgot about our deal.

"Oh Buttercup," I heard him call, "What about our deal?" Shit. Double fucking shit turd.

"Oh. Right." I grumbled, turning around. "Come over here and kiss me, I guess." I said unenthused.

I saw him smile slyly. "No. The deal was for _you_ to kiss _me_." Why the little fucker. I growled lowly, stomping my way over.

"Fine." And with that I shoved my face down, pressing my lips against his. His lips moved slowly against mine as I felt his hands come up from the desk and his side, one of them moving to my hair while the other slid around my waist, pulling me down. Not fighting it, I sat down on his lap, my hands moving seemingly of their own accord to his hair. I felt something moving up and down my sides and I quickly recognized it to be his hand, once on my waist, now searching for the hem of my shirt. Taking one of my hands out of his hair, I was about to end it when I felt something warm against my lips. My lips widened as Mitch slowly pushed his tongue in, deepening the kiss. My hand slid down, resting on his chest, all thoughts of ending it pushed from my mind. I felt him through his shirt, warm against the palm of my hand as something began tickling at my hip. Our tongues danced together, mine searching for his and his searching for mine.

"What, the _fuck_, is going on here." Gasping, I jumped up and away from Mitch. What the shit just happened? I glanced around, finding everyone in the room. Shit.

"Oh hey, you guys are back." I said weakly, unable to come up with anything else. I swore in my head. Butch sounded livid for some unknown reason. I glanced at him before moving onto my sister.

"Mitch. I think you should leave." He commanded, pointing at the door. I glanced at Mitch worriedly. He was my best friend once, why wouldn't I worry for his safety? I sent him a look, trying to tell him to do it. Just listen to Butch and leave.

""I go wherever I want, Butch and you can't tell me what to do," Mitch retorted, grabbing my hand. I groaned internally. Why the hell does my telepathic ability always fucking fail me?

"Uh…actually Mitch, you should go." I pulled my hand from him, pointing at the door.

"If you really want me to." He stood up, moving behind me. His arms hooked at my waist as he moved my hair to one shoulder, nuzzling his head against my neck. I closed my eyes unwillingly; my head tilting ever so slightly backwards as he breathed deeply and lightly kissed my neck.

Feeling his lips for the second time today on my body snapped me back to reality. Pulling his arms off me, I gently pushed him away. "Mitch just go." I glanced quickly at Butch, whose anger was so intense deep green sparks floated between his knuckles. An odd feeling welled up in my chest. I'd say it was part terror, but also part something else that felt good – happy to see Butch so furious.

"See you later." He said, winking at me before he went through the door. The click of the door set me in motion. I grabbed the vials, aware of all the stares on my back as I moved to Blossom.

"Here's your blood sample." I placed it on the desk, the chink of the glass hitting the counter deafening in this silent room. I spun around towards the closest door which, unfortunately, was the door Butch had just walked through.

"I didn't know you were the kind of girl who skips practices to make out with her boyfriend," he said coldly, glaring at me.

"He's not my boyfriend! I was just taking a blood sample!" I replied defensively.

"What? Through his mouth?" I stared with disbelief at him.

"No, from his forearm, where you normally," I cut myself off realizing something, "Why the hell do I have to explain this to you? It's not your business to know whom I kiss and whom I don't kiss. What does it matter to you?" I questioned angrily, moving closer to him and glaring hard.

"It doesn't matter." Butch responded, his voice toneless.

"Then why the fuck do you give a shit?" I replied back, toneless as well. My hands had somehow made it to my hips and were planted firmly on either side.

"You're right. I don't give a shit." He said lowly, looking me right in the eyes. He pushed past me, moving towards Brick and Blossom, his body contorting so it didn't make any contact at all.

My chest tightened at his response and I almost felt like, well, crying. Like hell will I give this bastard the satisfaction of seeing me cry. "Good!" I yelled with a huff, moving to the opposite side of the room and sitting down.

* * *

I glared at Butch for the umpteenth time that last ten minutes. It wasn't like I was the only one. Butch sent wave after hostile wave of glares my way. We still sat on opposite ends of the room; him with Blossom and Brick and me by myself. Finally, I looked away from him.

A couple of times I caught his glare. It was possibly the scariest thing I'd ever encountered. It promised pain, fear, destruction, and chaos. But dammit all, I was a fucking Powerpuff girl. Like hell would I back down. So I kept his gaze with a steady look of my own. I don't know why we were so pissed off. Well, I don't know why he was so pissed off. I knew perfectly well why I was pissed off.

"Where the fuck is Boomer?" I whipped my head to Brick, fighting the glare off my face.

"Bubbles texted me and said that Pokettes practice was running late…they should be here soon." Glancing at Butch, I noticed he didn't even look at the two, his glare resting firmly on me before shifting to the door that lead to the hallway. What the hell?

The door that led to the Teacher's office burst open suddenly, a torrid of laughing and giggling coming from it.

"Hey sorry we're so…whoa." Boomer said, his laughter ending abruptly. Yeah. That's right, fucking pretty boy. Whoa. He glanced at Butch, who's only sign of life was the fact that he kept glaring at me.

"So…did Buttercup or Butch kill somebody or what?" Bubbles lamely joked. I glared at her, silently willing her to shut her face before I went over there and shut it for her.

Boomer turned away from Butch, a small shiver running through him. Shit. Even Boomer was too afraid of Butch to say anything. I was in for it bad next time Butch and I were alone. "Well okay then…did we find anything important?" He asked, solely facing Brick and Blossom.

"Well we got some blood from an infected person…" Brick's eyes darted at Butch who remained lifeless except the levels of hatred I kept receiving from him. What the hell? I didn't do anything he should be concerned about! I set my features in a scowl, turning to look at Blossom. She was looking intently at Bubbles, willing her to, probably, not ask who.

"Really? That's…that's great, right?" Bubbles questioned, her glance moving from me to Blossom. "Who is it?" I groaned internally. Looks like I wasn't the only person having telepathic communication issues today. A spot burned on the side of my neck and, despite not using a single super power, Butch's glare reached a whole new level of intensity.

"Does it matter?" I hissed out, glaring at my sister for her inability to sense telepathic communications. "We got the blood, okay? So stop asking about it." Bubbles reached up, tugging at her pigtail in an attempt to comfort herself. Okay, yeah it was a little intense, but god dammit I've had a fucking bad day and what I _don't_ need is another one of my sisters prying into my business.

"I was just trying to break the silence, I don't see what's wrong with just trying to figure out who was infected…we need to know so that we can cure them," Bubbles whispered, looking downcast. I softened my glare marginally. She was so fucking naive. So insanely naïve about this whole fucking situation. Obvious to my discomfort or Butch's anger. We need the silence. It's an insulator to keep our anger from bursting. If no one says anything, we can almost pretend it didn't happen.

I felt the other side of my neck burn. Swiveling around, I noticed Blossom sending a terse look at me. What the hell? Was today seriously put Buttercup in the worst mood ever? It wasn't like I enjoyed the situation with Mitch. Okay, maybe I did a little, but I fucking loved the guy for five years or whatever and finally, just when I fucking get over him, this shitty potion comes along and causes him to just about do whatever I say and love me back? I can't help it. My body just responds without me thinking. So I sent a glare back Blossom's way

"Dude, who was it?" Boomer asked, plopping his backpack on the floor. So much fucking noise. I buried my head in my hands, desperately wanting to be left alone. Just shut up, Boomer. Shut the hell up.

"Don't look at me man," I head Brick mutter through the artificial blackness my hands gave me.

"Well if no one else is gonna say it, what's the point in getting the sample?" I clenched my hands in my hair, pleading with him to just shut the fuck up and leave it alone.

"Fine! It was Mitch Mitchelson!" I shot my head up, glaring death unto Brick. I felt Butch's glare slide off of me, and glancing at him, saw it landed on Brick for all of two seconds before it rested back on me. I observed him coolly. Just let him think you're unaffected, Buttercup.

"So? Mitch is Buttercup's best friend." Butch's dark green sparks started up again as she said this. He clenched the sides of the metal stool and I could sense him wanting to beat something – someone up. "Why is that causing so much trouble?" Bubbles. How the hell have you made it this far in life being so fucking stupid?

"Don't ask." I glanced between him and my sister, ready to leap if he should decide on attacking her. He finally settled on glaring at the table in front of him.

"Well I'm asking." My gaze shot up, glaring at her. What the hell happened to her? She was supposed to be the sweet one, the one in touch with everyone's fucking pansy emotions. "What the hell happened to create this ridiculous tension?"

Suddenly Butch stood up, his stool, or what was left of it, falling over to the floor. Opening his fists, two squished metal chunks fell out, clattering to the floor next to the chair. Butch stalked over to the hallway door, grabbing the knob so hard, I could see the dents from his hand in it. He flung it open, the metal hit the plaster wall hard, bits of it raining down onto the ground along with the destroyed chair.

"What the hell! I can't even get the fuck out of this god damn fucking piece of shit room!" Butch roared. I peered past Butch into the hall. All I could see was a mass of boys. What. The fuck.

"What in the world is going on?" Blossom asked, standing up. The tension finally broke as we all piled around Butch, glancing out into the hallway. From what I could see, every boy was there. Well, not every boy, but there was a bunch of them. I recognized a couple from the swim team and one or two from Butch's lacrosse team. Others of them I recognized from various other clubs, Student Council, Art Clubs, Bible Group, and even a few guys from when I occasionally landed myself detention.

"Excuse me? What is going on here?" I heard Blossom ask a boy, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hmm? Sorry, I can't talk now." He said, moving away from her. What the hell? No one ignores my sister.

"Dude, what's going on?" Brick asked another, only to be ignored. Okay, this is just getting strange. People do not generally ignore the two most influential people in school.

Pushing my way out, I moved towards Ernie, a boy I recognized from the Swim Team. I planted myself in front of him, only to have him push past me. "Excuse me? You're blocking my way." I stumbled backwards slightly, surprise letting him get the better of me. I growled. Okay that was the last straw. Gathering my muscles, I prepared to pounce on him to beat his living shit out.

"Not now Buttercup, we have to find out what's really going on!" I glared at my sister, sighing deeply. I needed to hit something. Bad.

"There's only one way to find out!" Bubbles said happily skipping towards where all the boys were facing. We followed after her.

Rounding a corner, I swore. "Fucking shit." Before me was Tina and Gina, back to back, surrounded by men. Some had managed to grab their arms, kissing up and down them while other made due with tossing chocolates from far away. Others had brought guitars and had begun to serenade them. Somewhere we had lost the boys, as now it was just my sisters and I.

"Okay!" I yelled out loudly, swinging my arm out and hitting a boy in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground with a groan. What a wuss. "I am give all you fucking pieces of shits ten seconds to move your stupid scrawny little asses out of here before I beat you all. I have had one hell of a bad day and honestly, you not leaving this area immediately would just make my day. So anyone _not_ wanting to be beaten within an inch of their life should leave _now_." I felt the green sparks dance across my hands.

Seeing us, Tina and Gina looked visibly relieved. Most of the boys left by choice, scurrying away from me and my intense anger. I glared at the few that still remained, two of which, upon meeting my glare, dropped what they were doing and ran. The last one still held Gina's arm, confessing his love for her. "Gina! You are a fountain of beauty! A goddess of kindness and, uh, beauty!" He declared loudly.

I grabbed his collar and pulled him up. "Bad choice," I growled, punching him perfectly in the face, knocking him out. Shaking my hand out, I felt the stares of my sisters on me. I dropped him, spinning around, "What?" I barked, "I gave him a fucking option! He chose to ignore me."

Blossom sighed, looking at Gina and Tina while Bubbles looked worriedly at the fucker laying on the ground. I shrugged, feeling much better and stepped back in with my sisters. If she was so worried about it, she could go fucking take care of him. "Now what the hell was that about?" I said roughly, turning my attention to Gina and Tina.


	27. Chapter 27: Butterflies

Author's Note:

Miyoreos1023: So we would like to thank all of you guys for patiently waiting for this chapter. As you may have noticed, I finally got my laptop back and FINALLY got around to finishing/editing the chapter. I really hope you guys enjoy it and that it was worth the wait.

Stphne: Yeah...clearly we were super busy with other stuff (aka school, homework, life)...but we do apologize for the wait.

Miyoreos1023: So without further ado, I give you *drum roll* CHAPTER 27! Don't forget to read (okay we all know you're going to read but...) and review!

Stphne: DISCLAIMER: WE OWN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...Except for certain characters, but they do not appear in this chapter (Just kidding Mrs. Morales is here as are Gina and Tina...) Trolololol

* * *

Hopping out of the car and bidding my sisters a hasty 'see you at lunch,' I headed straight for my locker to pick up my books. I skipped up the front steps when suddenly I bumped into Boomer. It took one glance at the boy, who was tugging at his bangs, to know he was feeling a bit self-conscious about his makeover.

"They won't grow any faster if you keep tugging on them," I teased, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from his face. "Besides," I continued, "you should stop worrying! Your new haircut looks great!" I beamed.

"They feel funny…I haven't had bangs since, I dunno, kindergarten? Plus everyone's staring! And these clothes feel so new…" Boomer grumbled as he rumpled his hair from behind and plucked at his new clothes. He was wearing a new pair of jeans that weren't overly large, unlike his old ones, and a dark blue t-shirt that fit snugly around his chest, accentuating his buff arms. His new haircut and clothes seemed to be getting him more attention than he used to. I felt a rush of pride as a girl passing by gave him an appreciative once-over. Boomer blushed and ducked his head.

"They're staring because you look so much better than you did before!" I reassured him as I fixed few stray strands of hair and tried to make him straighten his shoulders.

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better," Boomer replied sarcastically, rolling his deep blue eyes.

"Oh you know what I mean!" I replied swatting his arm playfully.

"Sure I do," Boomer responded with a smile. Lifting his arm he glanced at his watch before his face fell, "Drat I have to go, but I'll see you at lunch?" He called over his shoulder as he headed for his locker.

"Okay!" I chirped back, raising my hand in a half-wave before rushing to my own to collect my books.

Later that morning while I was walking down the hallway with Gina, I felt another surge of pride as we spotted a blushing Boomer heading to his computer science class accompanied by two cheerleaders. And pretty soon all the girls at Pokey Oaks High School were gushing and giggling over how Boomer seemed to have changed overnight. By the time lunchtime rolled around, Boomer had entered the cafeteria with a gaggle of girls.

"What happened to Boomer?" Buttercup and Blossom gaped as he threw back his head and laughed. I felt my stomach clench uneasily as he nonchalantly reached over and brushed some hair out of one girl's eyes.

I tried to catch Boomer's eye so that I could wave him to our table, but he seemed to ignore me. Frowning, my thoughts bubbled forward. It seemed like Boomer's new haircut also came along with a Butch-like personality, I found myself thinking bitterly. Wait, what? I quickly shook my head at my thoughts, trying to clear the negativity out. Boomer was getting the female attention I had promised, there was no need to be concerned simply because Boomer was finally getting comfortable with this attention right? Plus, he did look busy at the moment.

"He seems to be Bubbles' new project," answered Gina, interrupting my thoughts, as she shot me a knowing smile and bit into her bacon-avocado sandwich.

"I couldn't help myself! You know I'm a sucker for makeovers." I retorted with a giggle, swiftly spearing a piece of lettuce and depositing it in my mouth.

"Well he seems to be enjoying himself," observed Blossom as she calmly sipped from her water bottle.

I watched as Boomer made his way to the lunch line with two girls clutching each arm and another couple of girls fawning over him from behind. I felt my stomach give uncomfortable lurch as Boomer swept past our table without a single glance. That was weird. Wait…no it wasn't. I should be happy that Boomer is getting this much attention. That means that my makeover was a success. I was probably just uncomfortable because Boomer said he would see me at lunch, but now he is too busy. No doubt about it. I always feel uncomfortable when someone breaks a promise. That decided, I firmly stabbed another piece of lettuce and starting chewing resolutely.

Yet I couldn't help the small voice reminding me that Boomer had promised me nothing. But I'm sure this is just concern, I argued back to myself. I didn't want anyone simply falling for Boomer because he was good looking! Yes, I thought firmly to myself, that's it. I gave myself a little shake. Boomer was a big boy. He could take care of himself.

"Earth to Bubbles! Are you there?" I heard as Gina's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Huh? Wha…?" I blinked, pushing aside Gina's waving hand and meeting my sisters' bemused glances.

"Lunch is almost over. Stop dreaming about blue-boy and eat," Tina ordered, gesturing at my half-eaten salad with her fork.

Blushing, I averted my gaze from Boomer and his girl posse. "I wasn't dreaming about him!" I cried, before spearing a slice of tomato and plunking it my mouth.

"Whatever," Buttercup smirked, shoving a piece of steak into her mouth.

"You guys!" I moaned, shaking my head and staring determinedly at the remainder of my salad.

* * *

Pushing the theater door open and dropping my bag onto the ground, I quickly made my way down the aisle toward the stage. There were still ten more minutes until Pokettes practice started, but I was feeling a bit annoyed. I knew from past experience that a warm-up dance would be just the thing to make me feel better. I couldn't figure out exactly why I was feeling this way, but the more I thought about it, the worse I felt, so why think about it?

Plugging my iPod into the stereo, I selected my "Dance" playlist and hit play. Closing my eyes, I let the rhythm of the music take over my body as I tried to recollect the day's events. It wasn't as if anything horrible had happened to me. I had aced the AP Environmental Science pop quiz, earned an A on my AP Spanish essay and had a pretty uneventful day. I hadn't even run into Jacques or Princess. I felt a smile drift onto my face as I became one with the music.

"Ahhh Bubbles, seeing you dance makes my heart beat faster. For you are full of grace, beauty, peace and serenity." A low, slightly accented masculine voice pierced through the music. Stumbling to a stop I gasped, my eyes opened with shock as I abruptly turned around and found Jacques sauntering down the aisle toward the stage.

"Jacques? What…what are you doing here? Practice doesn't start for another five minutes," I blurted, slowly edging away from his approaching form. He didn't sound as cold as he did a few days ago, but I wasn't used to the idea of being alone with him anymore.

"Well I was going to do some warm up stretches, but why do boring stretches when I have an exquisite partner for a warm up pas de deux," Jacques replied, smiling as he hoisted himself onstage and grasped my hand. _What in the world? Did the potion wear off or something?_ I thought as his fingers wrapped around mine. I tried to yet again to edge away from him.

"Um…I don't think Princess would like that." I responded coldly, snatching my hand from his.

"Bubbles! What's wrong? I haven't seen you for over a week! I've missed you!" Jacques cried, hurt welling up in his eyes as he fell to one knee and reached again for my hand.

"Jacques, in case you forgot, we broke up over a week ago. That's why we haven't seen each other." I replied tersely, stalking over to pause the music.

"What have I done to upset you mon amour?" Jacques demanded. I felt my heart give a squeeze as Jacques leapt up and gathered me in his arms, his chocolate brown eyes gazing into my light blue ones. Yet, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his attempt to use French.

"Well let's see first you made out with Princess right in front of me, then you laughed as Princess made fun of me and then you literally called me stupid in front of the whole school. Why in the world would I have broken up with you?" I mockingly asked as I shoved him away from me.

"Ce qui? I…I did that?" Jacques spluttered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Goodness Jacques. I may not be as smart as Blossom, but I'm not entirely stupid nor am I pathetic. Don't think you can pretend that something didn't happen just because things aren't working out with Princess," I scoffed, hopping off of the stage and going to my bag to retrieve a bottle of water.

"Je ne sais pas! I don't know what you're talking about!" Jacques wailed, almost falling off the stage in his haste to follow me. And, as if whoever was up there deciding our fate wasn't cruel enough, at that precise moment, who should storm into the room but Princess herself.

"Jacques! There you are!" She cried, stomping down the aisle in deep purple stilettos. "You left your water bottle at your locker, so I filled it up for you," she simpered, pulling out purple tumbler from her purse and handing it to a bemused looking Jacques.

"Erm….Thanks…" He muttered, reaching for it. Suddenly Princess's narrowed eyes landed on me. She glanced between Jacques and me before her calculating eyes widened and she let out an ear splitting shriek.

"What are you doing here alone with Bubbles?" She screeched imperiously, pointing an accusing sparkly purple talon at me.

"I was simply warming up," I answered Princess primly, taking a swig of water before replacing my water bottle in my bag.

"As if I would be caught dead alone with Bubbles," Jacques sneered unexpectedly. What in the world just happened? Shocked I turned to see him lower the tumbler of water from his mouth. As he wiped off a small trickle of water, I realized that Princess must have refilled the tumbler from a water fountain. _Great. Now I'm stuck with the slimeball jerk ex-boyfriend and Princess_ I thought as I gritted my teeth.

"Mon petite cherie, I love you not little airheaded Bubbles," Jacques expressed, bounding over to Princess and sweeping her in his arms. I rolled my eyes in disgust.

"What are you jealous?" Princess smirked, wrapping a possessive arm around Jacques as he slowly began to kiss her neck. "As if anyone would actually consider being with a dumb blonde like you," she continued, laughing that annoyingly nasal laugh of hers before planting her purple glossed lips on Jacques. I bit my lip in frustration.

To my utter relief, the theater door slammed open and Chris and Boomer walked in.

"I'll have you know that I have completely moved on from you Jacques," I proclaimed desperately.

"Oh really?" Princess sneered, "And who is the unlucky person that you have 'moved on' to?" Princess asked.

"Well if you must know, I'm seeing Boomer." I stated matter-of-factly.

The silence that followed was quite palpable. I watched with a grim sense of satisfaction as the smirk dropped from Princess's face as she glanced at Boomer, who had dropped his bag with a loud thud.

"You…you're…you've got to be kidding right?" Princess spluttered.

Suddenly I felt a strong hand tug on my arm and looked up to see Boomer standing right behind me.

"Um…what are you doing Bubbles?" He whispered frantically in my ear.

"Please just go with it! I'll explain later!" I hissed back at him.

"Oh Bubbles, can I please speak to you in private uh…babe?" Boomer asked, tugging me toward the small props closet.

"Of…of course…sweetie," I replied and turning toward a shocked looking Princess, I smiled apologetically. "Sorry Princess, I'll be right back," I sarcastically cooed before following Boomer into the closet.

"Okay…what the heck was that?" Boomer demanded, once we were safely inside the semi-dark closet.

"I'm sorry! Jacques and Princess were being so mean. You saw them! There's only so much I can take! I panicked and just said the first thing I thought of!" I wailed, burying my face in my hands. Peeking between my fingers, I watched as Boomer rumple his hair as he stared down at his shoes.

"Really?" He asked, his voice hesitant.

"Yes! I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have said it!" I squeaked.

"No…I mean really? That was the first thing you thought of?" Boomer inquired, glancing at my face.

"Well, I mean you were the first person that came to mind," I responded dropping my hands, thankful that he wasn't upset.

"I came into mind when you thought of boyfriends?" Boomer asked, sounding a little high-pitched with his head slightly cocked to the side. I felt my mouth drop open in a silent "oh." This was not a good sign. He totally mistook my response and now he probably thinks I like him, which I don't. And if he thought I liked him, he would probably start to avoid me because he doesn't feel the same way and it would just be awkward. Especially awkward because we have to work as a team now…

"No you silly, you were the first person that came to mind because you're my friend!" I hastily explained. "I couldn't date you, you're like my brother," I added, giggling nervously.

"Oh…" Boomer blinked. "Oh! Of course! You're like a sister to me too!" He replied, laughing and shaking his head.

"Thank god! I wouldn't want you to take it the wrong way!" I laughed from relief.

Boomer muttered something to himself before chuckling and giving his head another little shake. He must have been really worried that I liked him.

"So will you do it?" I asked a little pleadingly, looking up at him.

"Do what?" he asked, looking taken aback. I raised my eyebrow at him. Seriously? Didn't we just have this conversation? I wondered.

"You know…pretend to be my boyfriend." I muttered, averting my gaze. For some reason it was just a really awkward thing to ask. I snuck a look at Boomer who looked a little hesitant. "It only has to be for today," I wheedled. Boomer laughed.

"I'll be your pretend boyfriend for as long as you need me to," Boomer replied.

"Boomer you're the best!" I cried, giving him a quick hug. Turning I headed toward the closet door. "Well since we got that sorted out. We should probably go back outside." I said, placing my hand on the door handle.

"Wait," Boomer grabbed my arm and spun me back around.

"Hm?" I asked, staring at his hand on my arm in confusion.

"Seeing as I'm pretending to be your boyfriend. Won't it look suspicious?" He asked.

"Suspicious?" I repeated, a little confused.

"You know…if we came out as if nothing happened in the closet," Boomer explained.

"But nothing did happen in the closet." I said before I noticed that his ears were bright red. "Oh!" I felt my mouth open with realization.

"Right. We should probably rumple ourselves up or something…like you can mess up the buttoning on your shirt" Boomer said reaching for the top button on my blouse and popping it open. I blushed and quickly brushed his hand away.

"Okay, I got it. I'll mess up my buttons. You should mess up your hair or something," I hastily responded, quickly unbuttoning the second and third button before re-buttoning them so that the buttons and the button-holes were not matched correctly. Looking up, I realized that Boomer was not really rumpling his hair, but staring at my hands. Or rather what my hands were doing.

"Boomer!" I blushed, as I continued to feverishly unbutton and re button.

"Ha…what?" He shook his head and dragged his eyes away.

"You aren't messing up your hair," I urged as I finished rumpling my blouse and reaching up to muss my hair a bit.

"Oh…right" He replied dazedly before slowly tugging at the hem of his shirt uncertainly.

"Oh stop, don't move," I commanded as I quickly stood on my tiptoes, leaned toward him and reached up to muss his hair.

"Wha?" Glancing down, Boomer quickly took a small step back in surprise, tilting his head backwards before stumbling over a box of props.

"I said don't move!" I cried reaching further up to reach his bangs. I leaned too far; forcing my feet to take a tiny involuntary step forward and suddenly we were both crashing to the ground. Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced myself for a jarring impact. However, instead of collapsing on the floor I landed on something a little less hard. Cracking open one eye, I saw not the floor, but the dark blue fabric of a cotton t-shirt. Straightening to a sitting position, I glanced around the semi-darkness to find that I had fallen on top of Boomer, who had his eyes tightly closed, and was now straddling his waist.

"Owwww," Boomer winced, as he propped himself up with his forearms.

"Oh my goodness Boomer! Are you okay?" I cried, leaning down and grasping his face in my hands.

"I don't think so…" He muttered weakly, his eyes slowly closing.

"Did you hurt something?" I asked worriedly, glancing around at his arms and legs.

"I think…I think I need CPR," Boomer answered, grinning cheekily up at me. Okay, so maybe the hair cut and the female attention did turn Boomer into Butch…

"Boomer!" I cried, gently slapping his face.

"But in all seriousness could you stop crushing my lungs?" Boomer asked.

Suddenly a shaft of light pierced the semi-darkness as Chris threw open the door.

"Is everything alright in here? I heard a…oh," Chris stopped as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and caught sight of us on the floor.

"Gosh…um…sorry…I didn't…well I'll just…I'll just be leaving…carry on!" Chris stuttered blushing furiously, grabbing a light that was sitting by the door and slamming it closed again.

"Oh god," I groaned, burying my flushed face in my hands.

"What?" Boomer asked, looking a little perplexed.

"Well Chris is going to think we were…" I said, my voice trailing off as I stopped myself. I felt myself blush some more as I realized that what Chris had assumed was what we wanted the others to think. Shaking my head, I quickly scrambled off Boomer and stood up.

"You know what? Never mind. We should get back outside, Pokettes practice started ten minutes ago," I said crisply as I reached for the door handle.

"Oh…right," Boomer nodded, as he slowly got up and dusted himself off.

As I stepped outside of the closet, I couldn't help the murderous glares that some of the Pokettes girls were aiming at me. Squaring my shoulders, I quickly headed back down the aisle toward the stage where Gina immediately grasped my arm and hauled me into the wings.

"So?" Gina asked, smiling like a cat that got into the creamery.

"So what?" I replied, quickly running my hands through my messy blonde hair and wincing as my fingers got caught in a small tangle.

"Don't act like there's nothing going on, Chris told me he walked in on you and Boomer in the closet," Gina squealed in hushed tones.

"Oh Gina! There is nothing going on between Boomer and me. We're just friends," I explained.

"Chris said that you were straddling Boomer," Gina replied looking unconvinced.

"We just fell over a box of props. I swear nothing happened. Boomer and I were just discussing afterschool tactics." I explained again.

"Then how come your shirt's all buttoned up wrong and why are you blushing?" Gina demanded.

"We were just…" My voice faltered as I caught sight of Gina's disbelieving face.

"Fine…Boomer was just, or is pretending to be my boyfriend," I confessed.

"What? Why?" Gina asked, her eyes widening in confusion.

"Alright Pokettes! Let's start practicing!" Mrs. Morales trilled as she swept into the theater, interrupting our conversation before I could respond.

"I'll tell you about it later," I promised before pulling Gina out of the wings and rushing towards Mrs. Morales.

* * *

"And that's it for today," Mrs. Morales announced, an hour and a half later. We dropped out of our last positions and quickly gathered around her, all of us sweating profusely from our rigorous practice. Sitting with my legs dangling from the edge of the stage, I saw. As Mrs. Morales flipped through her clipboard for some notes she made, I quickly slipped off the stage to my bag to retrieve my cell phone. I quickly sent Blossom a text message before slipping my phone back into my bag and returning to my spot next to Gina just as Mrs. Morales began to launch into her little rant about what was good and what needed improvements.

"What was that about?" Gina whispered, her lips barely moving as she kept her gaze locked on Mrs. Morales.

"Just sending Blossom a text to let her know why I'm late to our meeting," I whispered back.

"Ahh…" Gina murmured with a little nod and a knowing smile.

"So, back to the Boomer thing, why is he pretending to be—" Gina was cut off by a loud crash. Mrs. Morales whipped off her glasses, her beady eyes scanning the theater before they came to rest on Boomer.

"Sorry! Sorry! My hands slipped," Boomer called apologetically. Mrs. Morales curtly nodded before glancing back down at her notes. I heard a collective sigh from the other Pokettes girls as Boomer bent down to retrieve the crate of lighting equipment he had dropped. Apparently they were more interested in Boomer's jeans-clad butt than the notes Mrs. Morales had to give.

"Now as I was saying," She squinted at her own handwriting, "that last bit of choreography was a little sloppy, but with a little work it shouldn't look too bad…" Mrs. Morales voice seemed to fade as I watched Boomer's biceps bulge as he lifted the crate and suddenly I was reminded of how those very same arms had curled protectively around my waist when we fell in the closet. I watched as, blowing his bangs out of his face, Boomer disappeared in the light closet.

"Enjoying the view?" Gina's voice whispered teasingly in my ear, jolting me back into reality.

"I have no idea what view you're talking about," I replied, blushing a little and focusing my eyes on Mrs. Morales.

"Oh come on, you can't deny that Boomer has become more like appealing to the girls since your makeover," Gina remarked as Boomer reappeared from the closet.

"And I'm pretty sure you were checking out his amazing arms," She added, resting her chin in her hand.

" Oh hush," I hissed, giving her arm a playful slap as Boomer glanced towards the stage, his deep blue eyes looking straight at my blue ones.

"Well that's all the notes I have for you today, you are all excused," Mrs. Morales declared, slapping her clipboard down and removing her glasses.

"Oh thank god…I thought she was never going to shut up," Gina muttered, rolling her eyes as she slid off the stage.

"I thought you were enjoying the view," I retorted, lightly hopping off the stage and gracefully landing next to her.

"Well I wasn't enjoying the same view as you," Gina shot back laughing as she gently loosened her black hair from its messy bun.

"Oh I see, you were looking at a certain brunette weren't you? Maybe someone whose name starts with a C?" I teased as I reached down to retrieve my bag.

"Well you can't blame a girl for looking," Gina giggled, a light blush rising to her cheeks. She bent down to pick up her bag, letting her loose hair hide her face.

"Ha! So you do like him!" I crowed in delight.

"I never said that! I was simply…observing him as he worked," Gina spluttered, straightening and tucking her hair behind her ears. She stopped and stared over my shoulder.

"Wow…talk about being desperate," She breathed, shaking her head ruefully.

"What is it?" I asked.

"They really are throwing themselves at him," she gestured, following her hand I saw that Boomer was indeed surrounded by a small posse of girls. All of who were tossing their hair, fluttering their eyelashes and giggling at everything Boomer said or did. I felt my smile slip.

"Mhmm," I replied pursing my lips. For some strange reason, that darn feeling from lunch seemed to reappear and I felt my stomach lurched uneasily. I glanced away, frowning as I tried to figure out what was making me feel so queasy.

"Bubbles? Are you feeling alright?" Gina asked, her soft brown eyes full of concern.

"Of course," I reassured her, shaking the weird feeling off and smiled at her.

"Well if you're sure…" Gina looked unconvinced

"I've got to go to a meeting, Powerpuff girl stuff, I'll see you tomorrow," I said, grasping the door handle and yanking the theater door open.

"See you Bubbles," Gina waved as she headed down the hallway, her brows still knit with concern. I watched as she turned and made her way towards her locker, no doubt she was going to meet up with Tina. As I turned towards the chemistry labs I collided with someone, knocking them to the floor. Looking down, I saw Chris splayed out on the floor

"Oh I'm so sorry, are you alright?" I asked, holding out a hand to help him up.

"It's alright," He replied, scrambling to his feet. Scanning the hallway up and down, he blew out a sigh.

"Do you happen to know where Gina went?" He asked turning toward me, his eyes pleading. I stifled a giggle.

"She went that way, probably toward her locker," I answered, pointing him in the right direction.

"Thanks Bubbles!" Chris shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hall.

"No problem," I said smiling. I was pretty sure that he couldn't even hear it. As I started to head back down to the Chemistry labs, I collided with yet another person. Except this time I was the one falling. Or I should have been falling if that person hadn't wrapped his arms around my waist and caught me.

"Gosh I am such a klutz today," I said laughing as I looked to see whom I had crashed into this time. I stopped mid-laugh as I realized it was Boomer. Of course no one but another chemical X enhanced human being had the power to simply knock me over. Well almost knock me over I mused, unaware that I was simply staring at Boomer's face.

"D'you like what you see?" Boomer asked jokingly, his arms still wrapped around my waist.

"You wish," I joked back, reaching down and releasing his hold on me.

"Why were you going in such a hurry?" Boomer asked, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

"Well we have this meeting, you know with Blossom and Brick in the chemistry lab. I think you're invited to come too," I said breezily, a smile creeping across my face.

"Oh god! I can't believe I almost forgot. Weren't we supposed to be there like half an hour ago?" Boomer cried, slapping his own forehead.

"Yup," I replied and then began to walk down the hall.

"Well why didn't you remind me or wait for me or something?" Boomer asked, pouting a bit.

"Well you seemed a tad busy. I didn't want to interrupt," I replied.

"Wait! I know a short cut," Boomer called, grasping my arm and tugging me back into the theater.

"Really?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, it's through this door," Boomer yanked a small side door open, revealing a narrow hallway.

"Wow…" I remarked as I stepped through the door, taking in the dimmed fluorescent lights and the long windowless hallway.

"So how did you find this shortcut?" I asked, a nervous giggle escaping my lips. I couldn't help but feel a little skeptical about this hallway. Unlike the brightly lit, crowded hallways of the school this secret passage way was empty, echoing and slightly creepy.

"Chris and I found it a while ago," Boomer replied, the sound of his footfalls magnified.

"I think the teachers and the staff use it to get around the school...but I rarely see them," he explained as he stopped, tilting his head toward the door in front of him, he listened for a few seconds before he continued walking.

"It's kind of like a secret ninja hallway!" I exclaimed, a little excitement coursing through my veins. Boomer gave me a strange look and I quickly looked away, tugging on one of my blonde curls. _God he must think I'm crazy, secret ninja hallway...I'm such a dork..._

"Haha yeah I guess it is," Boomer replied, obviously amused by my dorkiness.

"Which door do we have to go through?" I quickly asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Well I just kind of listen at the doors and make sure it's the one I want," Boomer explained, "I know it's a little unreliable, but it works. I know this hallway like the back of my hand," he added, pride leaking into his tone.

Pausing in front of another door, Boomer leaned toward the door for a few seconds before a broad smile broke across his face. Catching sight of his smile my stomach gave a funny little lurch. It wasn't unpleasant.

"What is it?" I asked curiously, leaning toward the door as well.

"I think I found the door we want," Boomer answered, his hand reaching to grab the handle. Curling his fingers around the metal, he yanked the door open with a flourish. I gasped as I gazed into a conference room filled with teachers. Before I could react Boomer slammed the door closed muttering a quiet sorry, grasped my arm and hurtled down the hallway. Pausing, he glanced back the way we came before slowly turning his gaze on me. Clapping a hand to my mouth, I stifled a giggle.

"Well that wasn't the right room," Boomer remarked, a slow grin spreading across his face. This time I couldn't hold it in and collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"Did you see their faces?" I asked between peals of laughter. I could still see the varying degrees of shock, surprise and bewilderment registered on all the teachers' faces.

"Yeah, but it was nothing compared to your face," Boomer laughed, his blue eyes full of mirth as he tried a failed to copy my expression of confusion.

"Well I was expecting our siblings! Of course I was surprised Mr. Don't-worry-I-know-this-hallway-like-the-back-of-my-hand," I shot back at him, clutching his arm for support as I laughed even more.

"Ahaha sorry! I guess Blossom and Brick's authoritative voices are really similar to a teacher's voice," Boomer replied, smiling mischievously.

"Well let's keep going and this time I'll try and locate the door," I said as my laughter subsided into giggles.

Passing some more doors, my ears caught the sounds of several familiar voices. Stopping in front of the door, I used my x-ray vision to see who was inside. There were four people; two were huddled at a lab desk while the other two were sitting on opposite ends of the room.

"This has to be the lab," I announced, resting my hand on the handle. Smiling I winked and added, "and I'm not even a master of this hallway."

"Well let's hope it's them. Can you imagine if it's another wrong door?" Boomer asked, arranging his face in a look of comical surprise.

"Trust me, I got this," I giggled, giving him a gentle slap.

"How can you be so certain it's this room?" Boomer asked.

"I've got x-ray vision. Don't you?" I replied matter-of-factly.

"No," Boomer sighed, looking a little put out.

"Do I detect a little jealousy?" I teased.

"No! Er, maybe? Well X-ray vision is so cool! I would love to have it!" Boomer retorted.

"Well knowing you Rowdy Ruffs, I can see how X-ray vision would have been a bad idea," I chirped back

"Wha? Hey!" Boomer stuttered defensively.

Giggling, I reached for the handle, flung open the door and skipped inside the Chemistry lab with Boomer close behind.

"Hey sorry we're so…whoa." Boomer said, his laughter ending abruptly. I felt the giggles bubbling up my throat vanish in an instant. The tension is the room was thick and palpable. My eyes darted from Brick and Blossom huddled over a microscope to Buttercup and Butch sitting on opposite sides of the room glaring at each other. I gave a small shiver as I saw the hatred flashing angrily in their eyes. Unlike his usual perverse and obnoxious attitude, Butch was sitting silently by the door.

"So…did Buttercup or Butch kill somebody or what?" I lamely joked, trying to break the tension. Apparently this was a time when a joke wasn't going to cut it. I felt my forced smile falter as Buttercup shot me a quick glare.

"Well okay then…did we find anything important?" Boomer asked, turning his back on Butch and facing Brick and Blossom.

"Well we got some blood from an infected person…" Brick's eyes darted at Butch.

"Really? That's…that's great, right?" I asked, trying desperately to keep the conversation going. I glanced at Blossom, "Who is it?" I questioned, my curiosity overwhelming my gut instinct to shut up.

"Does it matter?" Buttercup hissed out, glaring at me. "We got the blood, okay? So stop asking about it." I flinched at her sharp tone and turned away, reaching up to tug on one of my curls.

"I was just trying to break the silence, I don't see what's wrong with just trying to figure out who was infected…we need to know so that we can cure them," I whispered, looking downcast. I was worried that maybe they had somehow taken Jacques's blood and that they didn't want me to know. I knew my sisters meant well, but if they had taken Jacques blood than they could have just asked me to get it. I couldn't help but envision Buttercup having that supposed blanket party on Jacques's head and then forcibly taking the blood from him. Plus they had to know about that the potion sometimes wore off, like it did with Jacques today. Yet somehow I felt that getting Jacques's blood wouldn't have caused this strange and frightening tension.

"Dude, who was it?" Boomer asked, plopping his backpack on the floor. Buttercup buried her head in her hands. I rolled my eyes, why was Buttercup being so difficult? What was so hard about telling us who was infected? We would find out anyway, when we cured them.

"Don't look at me man," Brick muttered, casting a dark glance at Butch and Buttercup.

"Well if no one else is gonna say it, what's the point in getting the sample?" Boomer demanded, his blue eyes staring straight at Brick's red ones.

"Fine! It was Mitch Mitchelson!" Buttercup shot her head up, glaring at Brick. I felt a rush of relief. Even though Jacques was a complete jerk now, it still made me uncomfortable to think that perhaps someone had forcibly taken his blood to test.

"So? Mitch is Buttercup's best friend." I said, looking around at Blossom and Buttercup. "Why is that causing so much trouble?" I didn't understand; why was Mitch Mitchelson the cause of all this tension? Everyone knew that Buttercup and Mitch were best friends.

"Don't ask." Buttercup growled tersely, glancing at me and then at Butch.

_What the heck? _I rolled my eyes. Why was Buttercup being so absurd, taking blood from Mitch shouldn't have been so hard and it was just blood. Why would taking blood from someone she was best friends with cause Buttercup so much discomfort and Butch so much anger?

"Well I'm asking." I replied, placing my hands on my hips and staring coolly into Buttercup's green eyes. "What the hell happened to create this ridiculous tension?"

Suddenly Butch stood up, his stool, or what was left of it, falling over to the floor. Opening his fists, two squished metal chunks fell out, clattering to the floor next to the chair. Butch stalked over to the hallway door, grabbing the knob so hard, I could see the dents from his hand in it. He flung it open, the metal hitting the plaster wall and causing bits of it to rain down onto the ground along with the destroyed chair.

"What the hell! I can't even get the fuck out of this god damn fucking piece of shit room!" Butch roared. Buttercup peered past Butch into the hall. I floated off the ground to peer over Butch's head and couldn't help but gasp at the number of boys swarming the hall.

"What in the world is going on?" Blossom asked, standing up. The tension finally broke as we all piled around Butch, glancing out into the hallway. Almost every boy at Pokey Oaks High seemed to be in this hallway. I recognized a few of them, there were some guys from Pokettes, my AP biology class, my AP Environmental Science class, some jocks, and other guys from various different clubs.

"Excuse me? What is going on here?" Blossom asked a passing boy, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hmm? Sorry, I can't talk now." He said, moving away from her. What in the? I have never seen a single person ignore or brush off my sister.

"Dude, what's going on?" Brick asked another, only to be ignored. My eyes widened in surprise. No one ignored a Rowdy Ruff either, at least not unless they wanted a knuckle sandwich or something like that.

Pushing her way out, Buttercup planted herself in front of one of the many boys only to have him push past her. "Excuse me? You're blocking my way." He said impatiently, Buttercup stumbled backwards slightly. Narrowing her eyes, she growled. Her body poised to strike that unfortunate boy to the ground. "Not now Buttercup, we have to find out what's really going on!" Blossom scolded, earning a chilling glare from Buttercup. To figure out what's going on, we had to get to the source.

"There's only one way to find out!" I said skipping towards where all the boys were facing.

Rounding a corner, I stumbled to a halt as Buttercup swore. "Fucking shit." I felt my jaw drop in surprise. Back to back against their lockers stood Tina and Gina, surrounded by numerous boys. Some had managed to grab their arms, kissing up and down them while other made due with tossing chocolates from far away. Others had brought guitars and had begun to serenade them. I turned to look at Boomer when I realized that the sea of guys had swallowed him, Butch and Brick.

"Okay!" Buttercup yelled out loudly, swinging her arm out and hitting a boy in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground with a groan. I could see that her control over her temper had broken. "I am giving all you fucking pieces of shits ten seconds to move your stupid scrawny little asses out of here before I beat you all. I have had one hell of a bad day and honestly, you not leaving this area immediately would just make my day. So anyone _not_ wanting to be beaten within an inch of their life should leave _now_." Buttercup announced her eyes narrowed, green sparks dancing on his knuckles.

Seeing us, Tina and Gina looked visibly relieved. Most of the boys left by choice, scurrying away from Buttercup and her wrath. She glared at the few that still remained, two of which, upon meeting her glare, dropped what they were doing and ran. The last one still held Gina's arm, confessing his love for her. "Gina! You are a fountain of beauty! A goddess of kindness and, uh, beauty!" He declared loudly.

Buttercup grabbed his collar and pulled him up. "Bad choice," she growled, punching him perfectly in the face, knocking him out. I stared at Buttercup in horror. How could she just punch him? She spun to look at Blossom and me. "What?" She barked, dropping the knocked out body on the floor, "I gave him a fucking option! He chose to ignore me."

Blossom sighed, looking at Gina and Tina while I hurried to the unfortunate guy's side to make sure that he still had a pulse. "Now what the hell was that about?" Buttercup said roughly, turning her attention to Gina and Tina. Gina's eyes widened at Buttercup's tone and involuntarily backed up against her locker.

"Well we would like to ask the same thing," Tina answered warily, "Thank god you guys showed up," she added with a smile.

"It was so weird, Tina and I were getting our stuff to go home and then-" Gina started to explain.

"Are you really that desperate?" Blossom interrupted curtly, her eyes narrowing.

"W-what?" Gina stammered, looking taken aback. I glanced at Blossom in surprise.

"Are you that desperate to add more potion to the water? Hoping that you could have more attention from guys?" Blossom explained, her hands planted on her hips. Buttercup and I looked at each other. Could Blossom be right? Did Tina and Gina add the potion to the water to make the boys love them?

"Wait a minute Blossom," Buttercup said, holding her hand up, "Tina wouldn't do that kind of thing…would you?" She asked, looking at Tina hesitantly.

"And Gina wouldn't either." I said defensively.

"Well how else do you explain this multitude of boys expressing their love for two girls?" Blossom demanded, spinning on her heel to face us. Over her should I saw Gina's eyes widen in shock and horror as Tina scowled.

"Do…do you really think we would do that?" Gina whispered turning to me, her eyes filled with hurt and sadness.

"Well…it does make sense…" I replied hesitantly. There was no way all of them could be in love with Tina or Gina. That was just too impossible. Logically it didn't make sense for all of them to realize their love for the two sisters.

"We said we don't know," Gina whispered, her golden brown eyes filling with tears and her lower lip quivering. I lowered my eyes, hating myself for hurting Gina like this.

"It's nice to know," Tina's voice broke the silence, cold and sarcastic. "It's nice to know that you don't think we're attractive enough to get a few confessions of love," Tina said bitterly, her dark brown eyes flashing. She wrapped her arm protectively over Gina's shoulders.

"Do you think that we would sneak into your house and steal the potion? We're your friends, not your archenemies. If you can't see that then Gina and I will be leaving," Tina continued, glaring at Buttercup before bending down to retrieve her bag.

"C'mon Gina, let's go home," Tina softly said, patting Gina on the back. Gina nodded, lifted her bag and turned toward the door.

"You know I would never do something like that," Gina whispered as she passed me before bursting into tears. Tina glared at all three of us as she wrapped her arm more securely around Gina and escorted her outside. Staring at Gina and Tina's retreating back, I felt a growing sense of guilt. There was no way the girls would have snuck the potion; they weren't that desperate. But what else could have made the boys so obsessed?

"I don't think they did anything…" I said, turning towards Blossom reproachfully.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Buttercup asked, glaring at our sister.

"Girls don't look at me like that. All of these guys naturally falling in love with Gina and Tina at the same time is completely illogical. And it pains me to say it, but it was suspicious," Blossom sighed, pushing her hair off of her forehead.

"Still…I think you may have jumped the gun on this," I murmured sadly, ashamed that I had even thought that Gina or Tina would do something like this.

"Yeah, maybe you should have gotten some evidence first leader girl," Buttercup said, staring at the front doors. Blossom stared at us before throwing her hands up in the air.

"You want evidence? Okay well let's go collect some evidence!" She cried, turning to her heel and headed for the doors.

"Wait…Where the fuck are we going?" Buttercup growled as she followed Blossom.

"To Him's," Blossom replied, her mouth set in a grim line.


	28. Chapter 28: Titles and Such

Stphne: Hey everyone! So, we haven't been updating…

Miyoreos1023: Yeah…we kind of failed at that…also at the title...yeah we don't have a really good title :p

Stphne: But, we actually updated quite some time ago. However, for some unknown reason Fanfiction didn't send out the little alert to tell you all that we updated.

Miyoreos1023: So basically what Stphne is _trying_ to say is that you should go back and read Chapter 27 before reading this if you haven't already.

Stphne: Also, some of you have been wondering who writes which chapters. Typically I write Buttercup and the boys. Miyoreos writes Blossom and Bubbles. I wrote two Blossom chapters towards the beginning though due to Miyoreos having writer's block.

Miyoreos1023: Similarly, some of you have been requesting that we do certain points of view but we kind of planned it for it going in a certain pattern (e.g. Blossom to Buttercup to Bubbles to the Boys/Miscellaneous and then back to Blossom) We want to represent them all pretty equally.

Stphne: Anyways, without further ado, here's Chapter 28.

Miyoreos1023: R & R! And as always, we are but poor University Students. We own basically nothing.

* * *

Exhaling deeply, I opened the car door and stepped out. I couldn't help but replay the shocked faces of my brothers once they finally saw my 'transformation'.

"Holy fuck, Boomer, I see you've turned into Bubble's little bitch."

I glared at him, my hand moving to push up my glasses, only to find they weren't there. "Oh, shut up Butch."

Brick glanced up from his paper, "Ignore the idiot; he's just worried you're going to take all his women."

"Woah, please. Boomer? Taking my ladies? That's a good one. Dumb fuck couldn't get them if he tried. They're all Grade-A hotties."

Brick snorted, "If the caliber of women I've seen you go out with is what you call hot then we'd better put out a bulletin warning the community to hide their livestock."

"What are you talking about? I could get any woman I wanted."

This time, I was the one who snorted. "I bet you can't get Buttercup. She'd rather gnaw her own hand off than go on a date with you."

Brick looked at me, one of his eyebrows raised, "Hell, she'd probably gnaw off her whole leg to avoid going on a date with this douche bag."

"Probably even give up her superpowers."

"Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean? Buttercup would jump at the chance to date me!"

Giving him a look, I patted him on the back, "There, there. We can't have them all."

"What the fuck are you guys talking about? I _can_ have them all! I am Butch fucking Jojo. _All_ the girls want me!"

"Come on, Cassanova," Brick said, shaking his head, "We're going to be late for school."

Which brings me to the current situation: actually getting out of the car.

"Hello! Earth to Boomer! Fuck you're stupid." Butch said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I felt heat run to my face. I glance around, noticing people looking at us. Or rather, staring at me. Immediately the heat from my face was gone instead was sheer panic.

"Huh," Butch said, noticing the on-lookers. "What? You never seen an idiot before? Fuck off!" He yelled before pausing, "Except you." He said, pointing at a brunette in a pair of tight jeans and heels, "Yeah, how 'bout I walk you to class." Turning to look at me, he winked, "I was just fucking with you from before, though. You look nice. Catch ya on the flip-side." Before I knew it, Butch was gone.

"Wow, typical Butch, school hasn't even begun and he's already hitting on…" I began turning to look at Brick but he had disappeared. "Huh." Slowly, I made my way to the front of the school. Everything looked and felt so different. No longer were my glasses framing my view, but also the constant swish of hair against my forehead was distracting to say the least. I tugged on them, hoping I had styled them correctly. Everyone's eyes were on me, which didn't help the way I was feeling either.

"They won't grow any faster if you keep tugging on them," a voice from my side teased, grabbing my hand away. Looking down, I sighed in relief: Bubbles. "Besides you should stop worrying! Your new haircut looks great!" She said, smiling up at me.

It was quite cute, the way her hair brushed the sides of her face because I was so tall and she was so petite. I felt a squeezing in my chest, like someone had grabbed my internal organs and rearranged them. As she took in the rest of my outfit, I could feel that feeling move down to my stomach and stay there. I coughed, rubbing at my chest. "They feel funny…I haven't had bangs since, I dunno, kindergarten? Plus everyone's staring! And these clothes feel so new…" I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. Everything had changed in one day!

"They're staring because you look so much better than you did before!" Suddenly her hands were in my hair, fixing what I had just messed up and on my back, straightening my posture.

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better," I muttered wryly. She sent me a look before swatting my arm playfully.

"Oh you know what I mean!"

"Sure I do." I responded, my chest once again seizing. This couldn't be good. I rubbed my chest again. I needed to leave before it got worse. I glanced at my watch, pretending to look at the time. "Drat I have to go, but I'll see you at lunch?"

"Okay!" Bubbles responded, but I barely heard her over my rush to get away.

* * *

"Hey Boomer," I heard a girl passing me in the hall drawl out, "where are you headed, cutie?" Turning my head, I wasn't terribly surprised to find a girl from my previous class flanking my left.

"Yeah, maybe we could accompany you there." I heard another chime in, claiming my right arm in hers.

"Uh, lunch?" I answered confused. We've had lunch together all semester…I guess they really didn't remember me.

"Oh what luck! We're headed there too!" They began tugging me forward, caressing my arms and touching me whenever they had the chance. Okay, what the hell? I looked around, only to notice practically every girl whispering and making side-long glances at me. Looking dead ahead, I noticed a girl from my Biology class give me a wink, mouthing something to me with her hand held up to her face miming a telephone. Call her? I don't even have her number…

Suddenly I felt a hand go in my back pocket, slipping something in there before squeezing and leaving. I jumped, startled by the unexpected presence. Slipping my free hand back into the pocket, I pulled out a slip of paper:

Call me later, Boomer. Maybe we could help each other out with biology. XOXO

Her number was scrawled after it, along with a lip-print. I frowned. This wasn't the first time a girl had passed me her number today. In fact, it was only mid-way through the day and I'd already collected 12 numbers and had half the cheerleading squad accompany me to at least one of my classes.

"Boom-Boom?" A high-pitched voice called me from my side, "What's wrong, baby?" A third girl's hands began stroking my back. Suddenly a fourth pushed her away and began massaging my shoulders. I glance around. Somehow in the five minutes it took to get to the cafeteria, I had picked up at least 5 girls.

"Yeah, Boom-Boom. Tell us what's bothering you." She pouted at me.

"Oh, it's nothing guys. Just, you know, thinking and stuff." Suddenly a murmur broke out about how thoughtful I was, and how they were so glad their 'Boom-Boom' was so unlike other guys. I rolled my eyes internally. Boom-Boom? Since when was I called 'Boom-Boom'? It sounded like some jerk's club name. And secondly, since when did I become their Boom-Boom? Last I remembered they didn't even know I existed. But, if this is what Bubble's thinks I need, who am I to complain?

A rough voice rose through the general murmur. I turned, trying to locate it only to find Ben Hayes talking to a group of his fellow football players. "Yeah, she was totally digging me." I heard him say. I paused, curious as to the rest of the conversation. "Have her in my fucking palm."

"Sweet, Bro. So you gonna ask her out?"

"Yeah, fucking dorky-ass Boomer Jojo was hanging out with her. Probably thinks he can slide in there while she's weak and reeling from her recent break up. Doesn't he know that girls like Bubbles would never date nerds like him? She's already friend-zoned him hardcore."

I frowned, disliking the sinking feeling in my stomach. It's true; Bubbles and I don't exactly run in the same circles. Seriously, what are the chances that someone with Bubbles' social status would want to take someone like me, someone who barely has any friends and has almost no hobbies? My stomach sank lower as the bottom of my chest began to squeeze tighter and tighter and a twinge of hopelessness made its presence known.

Wait, wait. Hold up. What am I thinking about? Dating Bubbles? The idea was almost as ridiculous as saying Butch wanted to become an astrophysicist. Bubbles and I were just friends. That's all we are, and all we'll ever be. This feeling must be because I practically skipped breakfast today. I mean, two bowls of cereal can hardly count as sufficient nutrition. Though, I couldn't shrug off the fact that these feelings all seemed to happen whenever Bubbles was involved.

"Boom-Boom!" A voice demanded.

Shaking my head I answered, "Huh?" God pull it together Boomer. Stop zoning out, especially while thinking about Bubbles.

"I _said_, what are you thinking about?" The hunger, as I had identified it, set in deeper while memories of Bubbles at the mall played through my head. Ben was right: Bubbles didn't belong with me. She belongs to the Ben Hayes of the world. And the sooner I stopped fantasizing whatever I am fantasizing, the sooner these damn feelings go away. Summoning all my courage, I once again channeled my 'older' brother.

I took my arm from girl's grasp and turning to the girl on my left I ran my fingers through her hair, and rested it on her chin, tilting it up just the way Ben did to Bubbles. "Just how beautiful all you ladies are today. God, how can one man be this lucky as to be surround by all these fine examples of womanhood?" I bluffed as I made my way through the cafeteria doors. A giggle rose from the girls around me.

Throwing back my head in laughter, I realized I was in full Butch-mode. Bubbles waved at me from across the cafeteria. Ignoring her, I brushed some bangs out of another girl's eyes, saying some non-sense to her that made her eyes twinkle. I could see why Butch would choose to be this way. Making all these girls this happy, even for just a moment, is addicting.

* * *

"Alright! Let's bring it in!" I yelled out, motioning them with my hands to gather round. "Now, I know that sometimes I may seem a little unfair, but I think we're really improving guys and that if we keep this kind of dedication up, we may just have a chance on beating Citysville."

"Aw, shucks, Butch. You gonna make me blush!" A voice from the back called out. A ruckus of laughter rang out.

"Yeah, yeah. That was pretty fucking sappy." I said, rubbing the back of my head, "Guess you all can give me 40 push-ups so you don't start becoming wusses on me."

The group groaned out loud with glares being sent towards the smart ass that just _had_ to say something. Chuckling, I turned to the other half of the field where my counterpart was whipping her ladies into shape only to be confronted with a conspicuously empty field.

Wait, what the fuck? Looking around, I saw Tina collecting cones just as the some of her teammates were coming out of the locker room, freshly showered. Huh. Shouldn't that be Buttercup's job?

Jogging over to Tina, I called out. "Hey there, pretty lady!" She ignored me, continuing to clean up the field. I cleared my throat, "I've got a question for you." Finally she looked up, an eyebrow raised in expectantly. "What has 147 teeth and holds back the incredible hulk?"

Making a disgusted face she returned to the cones. "Fuck off, Butch." She said wryly, stacking the last cone on the pile. Gathering the rest up, she spun around and trotted towards the locker room.

"Aw, you'd miss me too much!" I said, jogging beside her.

"No. I don't think I would." Tina set down the cones next to the building, and bent over to pick up her water bottle, drawing heavily from it.

"Yeah, you probably would. I mean, come on. You'd miss me."

"No, no I don't think I ever would." She said, matter-of-factly. Wiping her mouth off, she closed the cap, "Now did you actually need something, or did you just come to pester me?"

"Yeah, I need to know where Buttercup is." Tina responded to my question with a suspicious look. I realized how it could come off as suspicious. Buttercup and I never got along. And Tina probably didn't know about the whole potion situation. "She and I have a, uh, project to work on. Together." Shit. Smooth move, Butch. Way to not sound shady at all.

"Right…" Tina said, still looking at me oddly, "Well, I'm not sure where she is."

"I thought you two were supposed to be best friends."

"Doesn't make me her keeper, idiot. All I know is that Blossom showed up, said something to Buttercup, and Buttercup ended practice early. Not that I'm complaining."

"Blossom? Okay. Thanks." Duh, Blossom probably wanted her for that meeting. Shit, am I late?

"You feeling okay? You're actually being…tolerable today."

I jogged backwards, saluting her, "Just peachy!"

"Freak." I heard her mutter under her breath before shaking her head and going into the locker rooms. But you know what? For once, it didn't bother me.

* * *

Man, school after-hours. It looked like a ghost town. Any minute I expected tumbleweeds to blow across the hallway, from one empty classroom into another. My shoes squeaked loudly on the tile floors, the reflection of the florescent lights glaring brightly into my eyes.

After talking with Tina, I took a quick shower. I wasn't sure how late I was, but I figured I must be. After all, why else would Blossom have needed Buttercup? I used a bit of my super-human speed to walk just a tiny bit faster. No one was around, so what did it matter that the air behind me turned just the slightest shade darker green than the air on either side of it?

Finally I came to the room Brick said they'd be in. It sounded curiously silent, which was odd simply because if Blossom was anything like Brick lead me to believe, Blossom _should_ be talking their ears off, telling them what to do.

Shrugging, I turned the knob on the door to the classroom. Almost immediately, I wish I hadn't. "Hey I'm…" I cut myself off, unable to process what was before me.

My stomach dropped and my muscles clench. Sitting one once side of the room was Buttercup and Mitch, which under normal circumstances wouldn't be odd. However this was not normal circumstances. I watched as Mitch pulled Buttercup onto his lap, her hands running down his chest as his rubbed up and down her sides.

My heart was beating too hard, too loud. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus. All I could feel was wave after wave of this, this,_ emotion_ wash over me. It was next to unidentifiable, having only felt it on rare occasions for just the briefest of moments. Suddenly Mitch's hands stopped migrating, to my immense relief. Unfortunately, they stopped at the hem of her shirt and began playing with the little bit of skin that was showing. I couldn't take it anymore.

"What, the _fuck_, is going on here?" I asked lowly. Gasping, Buttercup lept off of Mich's lap and moved away slightly.

"Oh hey, you guys are back…" Buttercup trailed off, looking everywhere but at me. Taking deep breaths through my nose, I tried to suppress the urge to go beat the smarmy grin off of Mitchelson's face. Why was this affecting me so much? Why did I care? Why does the fact that Buttercup and Mitchelson making out make me both want to puke and punch something at the same time? My head reeled.

"Mitch. I think you should leave," I said, pointing at the door. My head was throbbing. He needed to leave before I made him leave because I could pretty much guarantee if I had to make him leave, it would not be through any door.

"I go wherever I want, Butch and you can't tell me what to do," Mitch replied, his hand reaching towards Buttercups. I felt my eyes narrow into a glare.

"Uh… Mitch actually, you should go," Buttercup pointing at the door. I relaxed, knowing he was leaving.

"If you really want me too," Mitch said, standing up and moving behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he began hugging her, pulling her tightly. My eyes narrowed again. Buttercups eyes closed as she leaned back in to him, enjoying herself. A sigh escaped her mouth and I shut down. I couldn't feel anything. A deep cold set into my body as I noticed her melting into his embrace. Suddenly Buttercup seemed to remember herself being as she ripped herself from his grasp.

"Mitch just…leave." She said, pushing him toward the door.

"See you later." He said in what he thought was a charming voice, winking. What an idiot. He sounded like hadn't shat in five days.

I heard the door click behind me however I was too focused on watching Buttercup. She quickly gathered the blood sample and moved over to Blossom. "Here's your blood sample." Knowing what she was planning, I casually leaned against the door, glaring at her. She spun around, rushing right at me as she attempted to leave only to find she couldn't.

Tina was probably just covering up for her. Blossom probably didn't even go see Blubberbutt. It was probably that little bitch Mitchelson. He was probably horny and needed a good fuck. And who better than our local lacrosse whore?

The cold intensified as my head cleared.

"I didn't know you were the kind of girl who skips practices to make out with her boyfriend," I said lowly, an eyebrow raised.

"He's not my boyfriend! I was just taking a blood sample!"

"What?" I scoffed with disdain, "Through his mouth?" I felt my arms fold across my chest.

"No, from his forearm, where you normally….why the hell do I have to explain this to you? It's not your business to know whom I kiss and whom I don't kiss. What does it matter to you?" I saw the anger spark behind them as the cold sunk in deeper.

"It doesn't matter," I said calmly.

"Then why the fuck do you give a shit?" Buttercup demanded as her hands rested on her hips. Those very hips where Mitch was just touching, stroking, molesting with his fucking presence. There were no words to explain why it mattered. I didn't even understand myself. Why _did_I care?

"You're right." I blinked at her, cocking my head to the side. "I don't give a shit." I moved past her, feeling her body turn ever so slightly to avoid making contact with mine. And that hurt. More than I ever could have imagined. I felt a sudden heaviness in my chest constricting me along with the deep cold.

"Good!" Buttercup huffed. She stalked over to the opposite side of the room and sat down.

What the fuck was happening? All this rage? Over what? I glared at the girl, angry at her for making me feel…whatever the hell I was feeling. Taking a risk, I glanced over at Buttercup. She sat there, glaring at me, her eyes unwavering. I answered her challenge, glaring back just a fiercely as she was glaring at me.

For all I cared about Blubberbutt, she could fuck Mitchelson all she fucking wanted and produce his bastard children and live in a fucking fairytale land where they all grow fat and die prematurely.

* * *

"So when's your cover debut on playgirl going to happen? I need to make sure I pick up a copy."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Chris."

"No, but seriously Boomer, you're actually _wanted_ by the female populace of our school. Whatever Bubbles did to you worked. In all my classes it was '_Boomer this_' and '_Boomer that_' or '_Hey, what-your-face, you're friends with Boomer, right? Could you mention me to him…?_'" Chris mocked in a high girly voice, flipping his hand down with each sentence. I laughed loudly. Chris paused, "Hey…do you think Bubbles could make _m__e_ over?"

I stopped right outside the auditorium, giving him an appraising look, "Naw, you're way too nasty to be fixed."

Chis laughed good-naturedly while he pushed open the door, "Haha, maybe you're right." The two of us walked in, ready to head to the control room where the light switches were only to stumble onto what looked to be a scene straight out of one of those day-time soap-operas.

"I'll have you know that I've completely moved on from you Jacques!" Pronounced Bubbles with an air of indifference. Wait, she's moved on? My stomach tensed as I thought about who it could be before dropping. Oh, wait. Ben. God, how could I be so stupid. Duh it was Ben. Who did I think it would be? Me?

"Oh really," Princess say snarkily, "And who is the unlucky person that you have 'moved on' to?"

Besides, I assured myself, I don't even like Bubbles that way. It's just in the same way a brother loves a sister. Totally.

If you lived in some backwash country that allowed incest then, yes. Just like how a brother loves a sister, I heard another part of my brain say. I groaned inwardly. There was no way I could like Bubbles, I tried rationalizing with myself, Bubbles is your counterpart, your _good_ counterpart. How could someone whose interest so totally conflict with your own have interest in you?

"Well if you must know, I'm seeing Boomer."

Wait…excuse me? My bag slipped out of my hand with a thump. With a tight feeling in my chest, I made my way over to Bubbles who was too busy watching Princess' face. Climbing up on the stage behind her, I glanced at Princess' shocked face and tugged on her arm.

"Um…what are you doing, Bubbles?" I whispered in her ear, mildly freaked out. Think about it. Her kind of people just didn't belong with my kind of people!

"Please just go with it! I'll explain later!" She whispered back, a smile plastered on her face. No one was going to believe her. There was no way in hell people would believe she was dating me.

"Oh, Bubbles, can I please speak to you in private uh," I paused, trying to play along with the idea of us dating, "babe?" I began tugging her into the small closet near us.

"Of-of course, sweetie!" I heard Bubbles reply although I once again wasn't paying much attention. I tugged her in and shut the door.

"Okay…" I breathed out, releasing my grip on her arm, "what the heck was that?"

"I'm sorry! Jacques and Princess were being so mean. You saw them! There's only so much I can take! I panicked and just said the first thing I thought of!" Bubbles cried, burying her face in her hands. She looked remorseful. I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

She looked like she really needed help. Bubbles helped me. Well, kind of. She was the one who decided I needed help in the first place, but that's really beside the point. Point is that Bubbles helped me and…I haven't really done anything for her.

"Really?" I was the first person she thought of. That had to mean something, right? We trust each other and, well, I don't really have any friends aside from my brothers and Chris.

"Yes! I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have said it!" She said hurriedly, as if trying to appease me. I stared at her confused until it dawned on me. She thought I was angry!

"No…I mean really? That was the first thing you thought of?"

"I came into mind when you thought of boyfriends?" I asked, my voice sounding oddly high. Why was this making me so worried? We were friends. And friends help each other out. Even if it means posing as their boyfriend. But…I couldn't help the feeling when I thought about how Bubbles thought of me when she thought of boyfriend. It was almost the same feeling I got when I was flying. Very near that feeling, except better almost.

"No you silly, you were the first person that came to mind because you're my friend! I couldn't date you, you're like my brother." The feeling was gone. My body almost seemed…empty without it.

"Oh…oh! Of course! You're like a sister to me too!" I laughed, trying to shake the feeling out of my mind. It didn't work.

"Thank god! I wouldn't want you to take it the wrong way," she laughed.

"Right, the wrong way…" I muttered to myself.

"So will you do it?" Bubbles looked up at me, her Blue eyes barely visible in the darkness. They were almost glowing. Superhuman. That's what we were, weren't we?

"Do what?" I said, trying to shake myself from my stupor.

"You know…pretend to be my boyfriend. It only has to be for today," She pleaded, her eyes once again searching.

"I'll be your pretend boyfriend for as long as you need me to." Just stop looking at me in…that way. Like you have hope in me.

"Boomer you're the best!" She threw her arms around me. Surprised, I barely caught her before she pulled back. "Well since we got that sorted out. We should probably go back outside." She moved to leave. Suddenly an idea occurred.

"Wait" I spun her around.

"Hm?"

"Seeing as I'm pretending to be your boyfriend. Won't it look suspicious?"

"Suspicious?" I sighed. She wasn't following me.

"You know…if we came out as if nothing happened in the closet."

"But nothing did happen in the closet." I really didn't want to have to spell it out. Just, it was awkward to describe.

"Right. We should probably rumple ourselves up or something…like you can mess up the buttoning on your shirt" I said, reaching for her buttons without thinking. Suddenly I felt Bubbles brush my hands aside, her face a little red. Shit. I felt my face heat up.

"Okay, I got it. I'll mess up my buttons. You should mess up your hair or something," I went to move my hands, only to become transfixed on Bubbles' own. Slowly, greater amounts of skin were being shown to me. I stared at the darker shadowed part in between her breasts as it grew.

"Boomer!" I blushed.

"Ha…what?" My eyes were free now, I looked everywhere else.

"You aren't messing up your hair." I saw a shadow of her hand reach up to my hair.

"Oh…right." I couldn't focus.

"Oh stop, don't move." She suddenly came closer.

"Wha-?" I stepped back involuntarily as she invaded my senses. Suddenly I felt as though I were falling. Wait. No. I actually was.

"I said don't move!" I heard her cry. Too late though as we were both tumbling onto the miscellaneous boxes in the closet. Random shapes poked into my back painfully.

And then Bubbles landed on me. The air whooshed out of me. She repositioned herself, trying to figure out where exactly she was. Only probably was, well, how she repositioned. Her legs now straddled my body right above my hips. She looked down at me, eyes wide, a silent 'oh' beginning to form on her lips. I closed my eyes tightly trying to focus on things other than the feel of her body on mine. I felt her gazing curiously at me. Quick, Boomer! Think of something!

"Owwww," I said, praying my acting was good enough. If I channel the best liar I know, maybe I can just get out of it.

"Oh my goodness Boomer! Are you okay?"

"I don't think so…" I lied, milking it.

"Did you hurt something?" I felt her visually checking my arms and legs.

"I think…I think I need CPR." I moaned dramatically.

"Boomer!" A gentle smack resounded across my face. Okay, I deserved that. I really needed to stop channeling Butch.

"But in all seriousness could you stop crushing my lungs?"

Suddenly the door opened. My eyes adjusted to the light slowly.

"Is everything alright in here? I heard a…oh," Chris stood in the crack, a look of horror across his face.

"Gosh…um…sorry…I didn't…well I'll just…I'll just be leaving…carry on!" He slammed the door shut.

"Oh god," Bubbles groaned.

"What?"

"Well Chris is going to think we were…" I blushed, though that was the point.

"You know what? Never mind. We should get back outside, Pokettes practice started ten minutes ago," Bubbles said, reaching for the door.

"Oh…right," I dusted myself off following her. My current situation overwhelmed me. Bubbles, my sworn nemesis, and I were friends and, not only that but we were "dating". Not to mention the whole potion thing. And, if I was correct what these odd sensations were, it really couldn't end well. At least things couldn't get weirder.

* * *

I sighed deeply. Today was definitely one of those days where you just want to sit down with a cup of coffee and lose yourself in one of the great literary works of the ages. But, I couldn't. After the girls had disappeared into the mass of bodies in the hallway I decided to just get out of there. Butch, still in a rotten mood, growled at anybody unfortunate enough to look at him as he led the way out of the school building.

"Come on, guys! We're going to be late!"

"Aw, Brick! I've only had one and a half bowls of cereal!" Boomer whined, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Well hurry it up. How much do you need to eat any ways?" Loud slurping was my only reply as Boomer began shoveling the rest of it down. I rolled my eyes at the mess he was creating. Oh, well. Not my problem. My problem was Butch.

"Butch!" I yelled, "Hurry your ass up, no one gives a shit about your hair."

Butch finally trudged into the room, his hair freshly styled. "Shut the fuck up, Brick."

"Oh, your wit today is on fire."

Butch glared at me. "At least the opposite sex can stand to look at me." I raised my eyebrow at how hostile he was acting. It really was expected given his reaction yesterday, which was still highly curious, especially given the circumstance when he became angry. I asked him about it on the way back from school but he just glared at me and told me to mind my own fucking business.

"Whatever, dumbass, I'll be waiting for you both in the car." Grabbing my school-bag, I headed towards the door. I heard a loud high-pitched zoom and suddenly Boomer and Butch were next to me. Boomer's backpack was slung haphazardly on a single shoulder while Butch's bag was missing all together. Rolling my eyes at Butch's total disregard for education, I heaved open the door.

"Race you down." Butch said with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, you're on!" Boomer replied with a grin, pulling the other strap of his backpack onto his other shoulder before taking off. Two streaks of light were the only signs that I once was walking with two other beings. Smirking a little, I streaked off after them.

* * *

"Brick," Butch whined, "Boomer keeps taking all my women. Tell him to knock it off."

Unfortunately, today was the day that all of our classes we had before lunch were right next to each other. Therefore, the fact that we would walk together was mildly unavoidable. I rolled my eyes, opening my mouth to retort.

"Shut up Butch." Boomer replied, "I don't want your bimbo lady-friends. You can have them back."

"That's right, Boomie-Boy's only got goo-goo eyes for one lady now: his widdle girlfriend, Bubbles." Butch said, maliciously, making smooching noises at the end for extra emphasis.

"Shut up Butch!"

"Go do your lady-PMSing somewhere else so I don't catch it, Boom-Boom. God, I can't believe you're with a Puff. That's almost as bad as dating Bridgetta and Henrietta. Oh, wait. No. It's worse." Butch ranted, "I'd rather be dead that dating a fucking Powerpuff Girls. Fucking whorish, goody-two-shoes, know-it-alls who exist for the soul purpose of making my life hard."

"Shut the hell up, Butch! You don't know them at all! You've never even tried to connect to them. Besides, don't take it out on me that Buttercup would rather bring a cave-man back to life and date him than even touch you."

Butch swung around, crossing in front of me in a heartbeat. He grabbed Boomer and slammed him into a locker. The hallway, crowded with hungry students, became still. Butch's hand was on Boomer's throat. His face but inches away from Boomer's own, I barely caught the words he said. "Don't you fucking say that name ever fucking again or so help me I will take everything you ever loved and fucking annihilate it. Including your precious Powerpuff Girls." He said lowly, spitting the last two words out.

"Butch," I said as a warning, "let Boomer go."

Butch's glare darted between me and Boomer and, squeezing tighter just for a second, he roughly released Boomer. "Whatever. I'm out of here. Tell Boomer to keep his pansy-ass pussy feelings to himself next time and to not fucking pollute my air with them." Turning, he stalked down the hallway to the cafeteria.

"That wasn't wise, Boomer."

"I know, Brick." Boomer said, looking down and rubbing his neck. "I know I shouldn't have brought her up, but the way he was attacking me…attacking the Powerpuff Girls…"

"Attacking Bubbles, you mean." I corrected him.

He flushed. "Ye-yeah, I guess."

"I think you're forgetting who _we_ are, and who _they_ are."

"No. I remember." He said, still facing the floor. I felt terrible. Like I was kicking a puppy.

"Good. Don't forget that." I warned him.

"I can't. I'm reminded of the fact every two seconds." We walked together a short ways before either of us spoke again. "You know, that wasn't the only reason I did that."

"Good, 'cause that was really stupid."

"Remember how when we were kids, you and Butch used to always pick on me for being the whimpy one?" Boomer began, "Well, I thought it might help Butch if maybe he had an outlet to take his pent-up aggression out on."

I smiled at him and clasped him on the shoulder. Finally looking up, he smiled back at me. There was a slightly red area beginning to show where Butch had his hand. Boomer, Boomer in more than one way was like a puppy: loyal to the point of stupidity.

"While your intentions were very honorable, I have to say that is still one of the ten dumbest things I've seen you do."

Boomer laughed, "Dumb is my specialty."


	29. Chapter 29: The Discovery

Miyoreos1023: HELLO! How are you all? It's been a while and we do apologize profusely for it. We've been really busy and it's hard to find as much time as we used to, to write this story. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long!

Stpne: But don't worry, we'll keep at it until we finish the story! I mean we have it all thought out, just need to write it out!

Miyoreos1023: So...with that, we'll just let you read!

Stpne: just don't forget to R and R and the characters are not ours at all!

Miyoreos1023: except tina and gina. They are ours :p Enjoy!

* * *

I could feel Buttercup's glare boring into my back as we all flew wordlessly through the sky. We landed on Him's front lawn, "Alright girls, let's just get to the bottom of this," I said grimly. Bubbles and Buttercup followed me as I marched purposefully toward the front door. "Are you sure we have to do this?" Bubbles asked, "I mean, we have no reason to suspect Tina and Gina," she pleaded, hands clasped behind her back.

"Bubbles, we have to be completely sure and the only way to do that is to look through Him's TVs," I argued, squaring my shoulders and rapping smartly on the door.

The door creaked open, "Oh hello Powerpuff Girls. How nice to see you!" Him crooned in his high-pitched voice, flinging open the door. "Come in, come in" he beckoned with his claw. Buttercup, Bubbles and I walked through the thresh hold and halted in the foyer. "Oh please do sit down, it's not polite to linger in doorways," Him insisted, ushering us through the hallway and into his living room. With a wave of his claw, the living room was swept clear of used tissues, dirty dishes, magazines and tv guides. Buttercup and Bubbles hesitantly walked toward the couch and sat down, Buttercup slouched in the corner and Bubbles perched uncomfortably on the edge.

I paced the pink fluffy rug, as Him disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a steaming mug of tea. Shuffling his way to his big red armchair, he settled himself down and placed his tea on a small table to his right.

"Now girls, what can I do for you this time?" He asked, placing his claws tip to tip.

"You have all recordings of everyone in Townsville's actions right?" I asked, getting straight to the point. Him leaned back in his chair and smiled smugly.

"My dear Blossom, of course I do," He purred, waving his claw so that each of the TVs displayed different faces of individual citizens in Townsville. Bubbles and Buttercup stood up and began to scan them, their eyes moving up and down the countless rows of hovering TV screens.

"Looking for someone are we?" Him asked, his smug smile widening.

"As a matter of fact, we're looking for Tina and Gina," I said, clearing my throat and shuffling my feet. While this was research, it did seem odd to be looking through their footage. It felt we were invading their privacy. I quickly shook my head. This is strictly research and to protect Tina and Gina I told myself firmly, ignoring the small voice that whispered otherwise.

"I see, so are they the culprits now?" Him asked slowly, his eyes searching as he scanned our faces. Bubbles blushed a deep scarlet and averted her eyes, becoming increasing interested in a TV screen that showed a woman watering her plants. Buttercup gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fist.

"Well, earlier today the girls were swamped by boys. They usually never are, so we thought perhaps they had placed the potion in the water to, you know, get boyfriends. We're just here to see if our hunch is correct," I responded.

"Well I'm pretty sure it was Gina. Tina never wanted to date guys so it has to be Gina. I mean think about it. She reads all those romance novels," Buttercup said, blowing her hair out of her face and glaring at Bubbles.

"No way, Gina's too nice! She wouldn't do that and plus if she wanted romance, she wants it naturally, not forced. I bet you it was Tina. She loves messing with people," Bubbles retorted, narrowing her eyes and planting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, but Tina doesn't want a guys mooning over her. She messes with people in other non-romantic ways," Buttercup spat back, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ohh cat fight," Him cried gleefully, shooting looks at both Bubbles and Buttercup.

"Him, do you mind leaving us alone? I'll try to calm them down," I sighed, as my sisters continued to squabble.

"Oh alright. Here's the remote. Press the button to get the recordings of the people you want to look for," Him huffed, waving his claw to reveal a rather large remote covered in buttons of all sizes. The biggest button was labeled "Butch," there was another slightly smaller one for "Brick" and a smaller one for "Boomer." Scanning further down, I saw three buttons for my sisters and me. Yeesh, Him was creepy.

"Oh and Blossom, I don't tolerate physical fighting inside," Him trilled dangerously before he disappeared into the kitchen. I nodded and turned back towards my bickering sisters.

"I'm saying that it can't be Tina," Buttercup growled.

"And I'm saying that Gina is too nice," Bubbles snapped back.

"It can't be Gina," I sighed, stopping both of them. A pair of bright green eyes glared at me, while a pair of sky blue ones widened in shock.

"Why the hell not?" Buttercup said, gritting her teeth.

"Because Gina has been in love with Chris since we were in kindergarten," I said.

"Excuse me?" stuttered Buttercup, taking a step back and dropping her glare.

"Ever since we were in kindergarten, I noticed how Gina's face seems to light up when Chris is nearby. I think it's because Chris defended her from being bullied once. She also jumps at the chance to hang out with him all the time," I explained, remember the time before we were friends with Tina and Gina, before Tina was Gina's half sister. One of the boys was pulling on Gina's pigtails, bringing tears to her eyes and Chris had stopped them.

"I can't believe that I didn't notice this! She's my best friend! I'm a terrible best friend," Bubbles wailed, burying her face in her hands and sinking onto the couch.

"Well she's kept it a secret from all of us. Even Tina," I said reassuringly, floating over to Bubbles and sitting next to her.

"For being an open book, that is one hell of a secret crush. But I still believe Tina didn't do it," Buttercup added, sitting on Bubbles's other side and awkwardly patting her shoulder.

"Shall we find out?" I asked waggling Him's giant remote control in the air.

"Yeah," Bubbles replied with a rueful shake of her head. We scanned the remote, looking at each of the colorful buttons. Buttercup chuckled when she saw Butch's large forest green button and Bubbles smiled when she saw Boomer's smaller dark blue button. Finally we found an oval shaped button labeled "Tina and Gina." Aiming the remote at the TV screens, I pressed the button and we gasped as the TVs morphed into one. The screen was wiped clear and the word "Menu" appeared across the top, followed by a list of titles: birth-4 years old, Kindergarten- 5th grade, 6th – 8th grade, 9th grade – present.

"Him's quite organized," Bubbles chirped, scanning the list. I pressed the clicker, moving past the first three titles and landing on the last one "9th grade – present". Pressing the play button, we watched as the screen wiped itself clear again and then another list appeared, marking the years. I clicked on "present" and this time the menu was subdivided into months

"Wow..forget quite, he's really organized," I muttered, rapidly clicking the remote to get to the month we wanted, which then revealed a list of the weeks. I quickly clicked the first one. The screen was split in two as it revealed both Tina and Gina sleeping in their own beds. Bubbles giggled when Gina began to chew invisible food in her sleep, quietly smacking her lips. Tina, on the other hand, simply mumbled and rolled over, her arm falling across the stuffed animal she had on her bed.

I pressed fast forward, hoping to speed through the tape towards something more interesting. Tina and Gina's life passed before our eyes at hyper speed when suddenly Buttercup gasped.

"Stop! Stop it right now. Rewind. Are you fucking kidding me?" She growled as she tore the remote from my hands and glared at the frozen screen. It looked like Tina and Gina were in one of the school hallways and leaning on the janitor's closet was none other than Butch. Narrowing her eyes, Buttercup stabbed the play button.

"Why hello, there." Butch's voice purred through the surround sound speakers and Buttercup visibly squirmed.

"Um, hi…there." Tina replied as she turned to face Butch.

"Can we help you?" Gina added in her chirpy voice.

"I seemed to have misplaced my name. Can I have yours?" Butch responded, flexing his muscles and grinning mischievously.

"Typical. That fucker," Buttercup seethed, her eyes turning a murderous shade of green. Her fists clenched the remote, tiny green sparks erupting from her knuckles.

"I can't believe he thought that lame line would work. Let's move on from this slime ball shall we?" Bubbles added nervously, extricating the remote from Buttercup's fist and quickly pressing fast forward.

"Check this out girls," I cried, pressing play. The screens were split again, meaning that Tina and Gina were headed to different classes. We watched as Tina walked towards a door located next to a water fountain, my eyes widened when a boy turned the other corner and headed straight for a drink. Just as she reached for the door handle, he glanced up and caught sight of her. His eyes followed her as she passed the thresh hold and the door clicked shut behind her.

"Oh what a goddess she is," the boy sighed, clasping his hand to his heart and slowly walking away from the drinking fountain.

On the other side of the screen, Gina was walking down the hallway, listening to her music. We watched as she passed a different boy drinking from the water fountain near the cafeteria. She suddenly paused, looked down and bent to pick something up. Then tapping the boy on the shoulder, she gave him a smile and held out an ID card.

"I think you dropped this," she said sweetly. The boy gaped at her.

"Uh…thanks cutie," he finally managed to say, fumbling to accept the card.

Blushing, Gina turned, her hair catching the glint of the lights, and walked through the hall leaving the boy looking quite love struck.

The next one was of Tina walking past the football field, where the footballers were practicing. We saw that they were having a water break and as soon as they saw her, their cups tumbled out of their hands and they all began to shout her name. Buttercup laughed and pointed out the headphones Tina was wearing, making her completely oblivious to the guys each trying to best each other in hopes of gaining her attention.

While Tina was walking past the football field, Gina was walking into the chorus room. The all male acapella group was practicing in there and we watched as, one by one, they each took sips from their water bottles and fell in love with Gina. Gina blushed when she realized the boys were serenading her, but I guess she thought they were just rehearsing because she began laughing.

"You guys sound excellent!" She chirped as she walked back out the door, a box of sheet music in her hands.

After an hour or so of watching Tina and Gina walk pass numerous situations, Bubbles gasped. Grabbing the remote from my hand, she quickly hit rewind and then pressed play.

"Look at this!" She cried, as the screen revealed two boys lurking around Tina and Gina's lockers.

"Yo Brad, I heard Chris asked Gina out," the brunette said in hushed tones.

"What? No way Ted! I just found out Sebastian asked Tina out!" Brad replied.

"Weird, I thought Tina didn't date, you know girl power and all that," Ted said, scratching his head.

"And I thought Gina couldn't date, because you know, Tina being so protective and her being all innocent and stuff," said Brad.

"Well I was there and it was definitely Gina and Chris. She keeps turning him down so she's still single" Ted said.

"I guess both of them got asked out. I'm going to go ask Gina out for myself. I've been wanting to do this since like 8th grade," Brad said, rubbing his hands together.

"Well, I think I'll try my luck at Tina. She's a pretty cool chick. If Sebastian can do it without getting his sack busted surely I can," Ted replied. Then they both walked down the hall. I pressed fast forward again, pausing when I noticed another gaggle of boys on the screen.

"Not to mention the Powerpuff girls seem to be okay with it," One was saying, his smile widening.

"Yeah man, I always thought that I might get beaten up by Buttercup or something if she caught me asking Tina out," Another nodded.

"Or give us the usually intimidation speech that girls give. You know the one about being friends and if we break their hearts, they're break our faces?" a third laughed, shaking his head.

"I know right? I was worried that if I hurt Tina, one of them would come bust my balls or something," a fourth joined in, as they dug into their lunches.

I felt my jaw hit the floor. Lifting the remote, I pressed pause and tossed the remote onto the side table. Turning toward Bubbles and Buttercup, I saw the same look of surprise on their faces.

"I had no idea guys didn't ask Tina or Gina out because they were intimidated by us," Bubbles said, breaking the silence.

"Do you know what this means?" I asked.

"That Tina and Gina didn't steal the potion?" Him's voice wafted into the room. We all jumped.

"Sorry girls, I couldn't help but overhear. Isn't it fascinating to learn how Tina and Gina managed to remain single this entire time? They're both attractive, Gina being the sweet, romantic one and Tina the cool, sporty one. It's a wonder they didn't get snapped up by the boys." Him continued eagerly, filing his claw.

I hated to admit it, but Him was right. From what we saw on the tape, Tina and Gina hadn't stolen the potion. Three-fourths of the guys that were swooning over them were simply a result of both the girls being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whereas the remaining fourth of the guys had simply been intimidated by us. There hadn't been any proof of them sneaking into the professor's lab whenever they came over. I lifted the remote and pressed the off button, causing the screen to turn black and blink out of sight.

"Thanks Him. C'mon girls we should head home, " I sighed resignedly, it seemed like we kept hitting dead ends.

"We should go apologize to Tina and Gina," Buttercup said, as we took to the sky.

"Yeah, I'm such a terrible friend. First I never noticed Gina's crush and then I accuse her of being a hussy without having any substantial proof," Bubbles replied, her blue eyes filled with shame.

"We should go now," I said, veering to my right and heading toward Tina and Gina's house. My sisters following close behind.

* * *

Landing on their backyard, Bubbles, Buttercup and I slowly made our way to the back door. As we approached, we could see the girls through the plate glass. Tina was sitting at the kitchen table, muttering angrily as she drummed her fingers onto the worn wooden tabletop. She wore her lacrosse cleats and her hair was drenched in sweat. Her lacrosse stick, instead of leaning on the table, was thrown carelessly on the floor. Gina, clad in an apron, was bustling around the kitchen, tossing ingredients into her kitchen aid and biting her lower lip while she stared at the contents of the bowl. She had a streak of flour on her nose and a smudge of chocolate across her cheek. Her hair was tied haphazardly into a bun.

Squaring her shoulders, Bubbles stepped toward the door and gave it a soft knock. They froze and looked at each other, then shifted their gaze to the back door. Upon seeing us Tina's hand clenched into a fist and her eyes narrowed, while Gina folded her arms across her chest and frowned. I could see the hurt in Gina's soft, brown eyes and the anger in Tina's. Bubbles knocked again, louder this time, but the girls simply turned their heads. Tina roughly shoved her chair back and stalked towards the cabinets, while Gina began to viciously chop up a block of chocolate into small chunks. When Tina returned from the fridge with a perspiring tall glass of water, she moved around the table so that her back was facing the door. Clearly, apologizing to our best friends wasn't going to be as easy as we thought. It was going to take a while to get them to open the door. Bubbles knocked on the door for the third time, but to no avail.

"Guys, open the door. We have to talk to you," She called through the door, her fist sliding down to the doorknob and gently rattling it. Tina pulled her ipod from her pocket and plugged it into a set of speakers in the kitchen. Gina simply turned the kitchen aid on and filled the room with a loud whirring sound.

"Let me try," Buttercup said, walking past Bubbles and pounding the door with her fist. Both Tina and Gina flinched at the loud, rattling thumps that could be heard over the noise, but they continued to give us the cold shoulder.

"Let us in. We need to talk to you," Buttercup bellowed, making sure that her voice could be heard over all the sound. Tina simply reached over and upped the volume, bringing the glass of water to her lips and taking a deep drink. Buttercup continued to pound the door, causing a slight dent in the woodwork and the glass to quiver. I quickly grasped her wrist and pulled her away before she could do any more damage.

"Let me try," I said, stepping up to the door.

"We're not leaving until you open this door and let us talk to you," I called, rapping smartly on the glass.

"I'll blast the door down if I have to," I added, stepping back and taking aim. Gina stopped chopping chocolate and stopped the kitchen aid. Tina carefully lowered her glass of water, reached over and lowered the volume of the speakers. Scraping her chair back, she slowly got up and stalked over to the door.

"Here to accuse us for something else we didn't do?" She said icily after yanking open the door and giving us all a death glare.

"No, we're actually here to apologize," I said softly, folding my hands in front of me and lowering my head. Tina opened the door a little wider and stepped aside to let us in, but the anger in her face didn't soften. We followed her to the kitchen table, hovering uncomfortably as Tina scraped back her chair and sat down, her arms folded and gazing stonily at the wooden table. Gina, after wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, joined her.

"Well sit down then," Gina said, gesturing toward the other chairs. Bubbles sat down next to Gina and Buttercup sat down next to Tina, leaving me the seat across from them. Gina and Tina sat quietly, expectantly as we settled our selves into the seats. I cleared my throat a few times. Tina continued drumming her fingers on the table, while Gina anxiously fiddled with the kitchen towel, twisting it around and around in her hands.

"What did you want to talk about," Tina asked, not meeting our eyes.

"Well, you see…we went to Him's house earlier," I began, unsure how to begin.

"And we discovered that you didn't steal the potion," Buttercup blurted out.

"Oh gee, how'd you figure that out?" Tina asked, finally lifting her gaze to us.

"Well Him basically has access to all, that is to say, he has surveillance cameras all throughout Townsville. So we took a look at your file," I answered.

"Our file?" Gina asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"You were spying on us? Who gave you the right to do that? That's invasion of privacy!" Tina shouted, banging her fist on the table, making her glass wobble.

"We were just trying to find evidence that you're not a suspect!" Buttercup shouted back.

"The fact that we've been best friends isn't enough?" Gina asked quietly, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Of course it is, we just had to be sure. I mean it was a little odd to find out that all those boys were chasing after you. But we realized only some of them were a result of the potion and you were just at the wrong place at the right time," Bubbles soothed, wrapping her arm around Gina's shoulders.

"Is that all you came to tell us?" Tina asked, her arms folded across her chest.

"Of course not," Buttercup spluttered.

"We came to apologize. We should have trusted you and we didn't. I guess we just got so wrapped up in this case that no one seemed to be above being accused," I said softly, meeting both Tina and Gina's eyes.

"We're really sorry. It's just really frustrating you know?" Bubbles added, grabbing Gina's hand and giving it a soft squeeze.

"Well next time, maybe have more evidence before you go accusing people willy-nilly. A hunch can never be enough evidence," Gina said with a soft smile.

"For being Powerpuff Girls, you're mystery solving skills are terrible," Tina added, a corner of her mouth twitching up in a smile.

"Why you little…" Buttercup laughed, lightly punching Tina on the shoulder. I smiled, it was nice to have something go back to normal.

"Do you guys want to stay for dinner? Our parents went out and I'm making mac and cheese," Gina asked, as we all started to leave.

"Well, we need to go over some more possible suspects…" I said slowly.

"And of course, find evidence," Buttercup added breezily.

"Maybe we can help? You know, bring a new perspective," Tina persisted.

"Why not?" Bubbles chirped, looking at Buttercup and me.

"It's settled then," Gina beamed, bounding from her chair and rushing around the kitchen to get dinner ingredients. Buttercup and I looked at each other and shrugged. It would probably be more fun than working with the boys. Bubbles went to help Gina with dinner, while Tina, Buttercup and I quickly set the table.

"So who are you suspecting this time?" Tina asked, her gaze serious as she began to lay out the plates.

"We were thinking Princess," I answered, rummaging through the drawers for forks and knives.

"That makes sense," Gina said, grating different kinds of cheese and placing them in separate bowls.

"But we don't have evidence or proof," Bubbles replied, placing a pot of water on the stove to boil.

"Well she has hated you since you didn't let her become a Powerpuff Girl," Tina mused, pulling out cups and bowls from cabinets and placing them on the table.

"And she did have her eye on Jacques," Buttercup added, compiling a giant salad.

As the smells of melting cheese filled the room, we began discussing Princess's motives and her possible actions. Gina grabbed a few tomatoes, some slab bacon, cooked ground beef, sausage pieces, spinach, olives, and Parmesan cheese, some herbs, spices and some bread crumbs. After roughly chopping them, she set them aside and pulled out individual ramekins. Buttercup had finished the salad and placed it on the set table, while Tina began filling our glasses with our drink preferences. I noted that Bubbles had asked for vitamin water.

"So Princess has a motive and she probably has the means," Tina said, moving around the table, setting drinks next to drinking glasses.

"But we can't just accuse based on a motive. Look where it got us last time," I pointed out, recalling how most of our accusations had been based solely on that.

"Well we have a suspect now to find the evidence," Bubbles said, draining the pasta and handing it to Gina.

"Break time! Everyone come and make your mac and cheese," Gina said with a smile as she mixed the béchamel sauce with the pasta.

"Build our own mac and cheese?" I asked, as Tina rushed to the counter and grabbed a ramekin.

"Yeah, Gina makes it so you can add your own toppings and make your own kind of mac and cheese," she explained, as she spooned pasta into her ramekin and adding to it with chopped tomatoes, bacon, spinach before mixing it together with a spoon. We watched as she then sprinkled the entire thing with a mixture of breadcrumbs, spices and Parmesan cheese and placed it on a roasting pan.

After we had all made our own mac and cheese ramekins and Gina had placed them in the oven to bake, we all sat down at the table and began to eat the salad.

"So if Princess would have taken the potion, how would she have gotten in?" Gina asked, spearing a crisp piece of lettuce and crunching down on it.

"Well the Professor's lab is really secure. There's a typed pass code, a retina scan and a handprint scan. As well as a voice recognized lock," I said, going over all of the security guards and locks to the lab.

"So to get in, she would have to get through all of those?" Tina asked to confirm. We all nodded.

"Well she could have gotten a handprint or a fingerprint as well as a voice recording while we were in school," Buttercup mused, chasing a tomato with her fork.

"It would have been easy, seeing as we probably leave handprints all over our lockers and stuff," Bubbles said. The oven beeped and Gina quickly pulled out the mac and cheese.

By the time we finished eating our dinner, we had come no closer to finding actual evidence or proof that Princess had indeed broken into the lab. Everything we had come up with was based on theories, observations, and hunches.

"This is getting us no where," I moaned, dropping my head in my hands. Buttercup and Tina had cleared and washed the dishes, while Gina and Bubbles had finished the dessert Gina had been making earlier. The room was now filled with the scent of melted dark chocolate, chasing away the scent of the mac and cheese.

"Is there anyway you can find proof? I don't know, maybe talk to Princess and try and get her to say something she shouldn't?" Gina asked, setting a decadent chocolate cake onto the table.

"Brilliant plan Gina! Because Princess would tell the Powerpuff Girls that she stole from their dad," Tina said sarcastically.

"No I meant through other means," Gina retorted, blushing a bit.

"What do you mean other means?" Bubbles and I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well you know Princess likes to brag and breaking into the lab is no easy feat. Why not give her someone to brag to?" Gina explained, cutting the cake into equal slices and distributing them.

"Now that's a good plan," Tina said, passing around forks.

"But who will she brag to?" Buttercup asked.

"The RowdyRuff Boys," I answered, the idea clicking into place. At the mere mention of the boys, I saw Buttercup stiffen and her face harden. She quickly shoved a bite of cake into her mouth.

"How will she do that?" Gina asked, oblivious to Buttercup's slight behavioral change.

"We could have the RowdyRuff Boys flirt with her…" Bubbles mused, then shook her head, "But Boomer hates her," she said.

"And Brick would rather give up his superpowers," I said. We all turned to Buttercup, who was viciously shoving cake in her mouth.

"What about Butch?" Bubbles asked innocently, her blues eyes boring into Buttercup's green ones. Buttercup froze, her eyes narrowed and tiny, imperceptible green sparks danced across her knuckles. She swallowed her bite of cake and calmly took a sip of water.

"Hah! Butch will flirt with anything that has boobs and a vagina. As long as he thinks he can get her sans pants," She finally said, her voice dripping with scorn.

"So you'll do it?" I asked her, my pink eyes locking onto her green ones.

"If you think I'm going to ask that son of a bitch to do something, you've got another think coming. I'm not going anywhere near that motherfucker," Buttercup retorted, cutting another piece of cake and shoveling it into her mouth.

"You've got to do it," I insisted, putting down my fork.

"Are you fucking crazy? I said no fucking way! I never want to see that fucking bastard ever again," Buttercup shouted, scraping back her chair and throwing her dishes in the sink.

"What because you had a little argument with him?" I asked, praying that I wouldn't push her but knowing that if I said the right thing she would concede.

"Listen Leader girl, I don't want to even hear his fucking name. Got that?" Buttercup said, whirling around from the sink. Her fits were balled up and this time dark green sparks were jumping from her knuckles.

"If you don't talk to him, you're backing down. Letting him win," I said, hoping that her competitive side would win out. Buttercup hated losing to Butch.

"What better way to get back at him than to make him flirt with Princess? Think of the reputation he would get." I said, crossing my fingers. Buttercup glared at me, knowing what I was doing. But I could see her thoughts flit through her eyes. The idea of making Butch do something he would loathe to do was not something Buttercup would pass up so easily.

"I need to think about this," she muttered through clenched teeth, throwing herself back in her chair.

"Oh!" Bubbles gasped, her eyes widening and her lips parting into a smile.

"What?" Buttercup spat, glaring at Bubbles.

"Why don't I just do it?" Bubbles asked excitedly.

"What?" Tina, Gina and I all replied.

"Well Buttercup clearly doesn't want to talk to Butch and if I'm right, Butch will gleefully say no. Which would drive Buttercup even angrier. You said that my puppy dog eyes are irresistible. Even you can't say no to them Blossom. Why don't I put them to the test and see if I can ask Butch. I really don't mind and, if you're right about my pleading look, we'll have evidence in no time," she calmly explained. Bubbles did have a point and I saw Buttercup relax.

"You've got a point Bubbles. Perhaps it would be best if you did it," I said. I watched Buttercup shoot Bubbles a quick, thankful look.

"Well now that we've got that settled, we should probably head home," I said, pushing back my chair and standing up.

"Yeah, thanks for dinner Gina," Bubbles chirped, bouncing up and giving Gina a big hug.

"We'll see you soon!" Buttercup said, fist pounding Tina. We walked out the door and rose in the air.

"No more false accusations!" Tina called after us, making us chuckle

"And come for dinner soon!" Gina called, their forms silhouetted in the bright doorway.


End file.
